Honour Bound
by RaspberryRose
Summary: Alternate Universe. A Jack and Martha Fic. Summer Bay is divided into three. Who will rule? COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**HONOUR BOUND**

**Summary:** (AU) Alternate Universe. Summer Bay is divided into three parts. Six main families rule the roosts; Macklin/Mackenzie's, Stewart/Holden's and the Henderson/Nadar's. One of these families will do whatever it takes to take control over all of Summer Bay; even if it means killing the estranged granddaughter of Alf 'The Boss' Stewart.

**Yep, yet another Jack and Martha story. Don't like them; don't read it. LOL.**

**Here are a few things that you need to know:**

**This is an Alternate Universe fic, so everything we know about the characters on the show; doesn't exist here. **

**Most characters family members are the same; apart from Tasha and Kim who are twins in this story. Also, Amanda is the half sister of Corey. They have different fathers.**

**Martha is a Macklin (not a Mackenzie) in this story. She was never adopted out at birth, so was raised by both Roo and Brett; who are also married. The Mackenzie's are like family to the Macklin's, so Martha grew up with The Mackenzie brothers.**

**Martha and her mother Roo have been estranged from Alf and the rest of the Stewarts for about ten years; due to the fight which originally caused the 'Summer Bay Split' in the first place.**

**Jack isn't a cop.**

**That's all that I can think of at the moment. If there's anything else; ill let you know. Anyhoo, on with the story.**

**The first chapter is pretty short, but the next one should be a lot longer.**

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**CHAPTER ONE**

Martha pulled at the crisp white handkerchief that was buried deep in the pocket of her dark jacket. She used it to dab at her cheeks; freeing them of the stray tears that rolled down them.

In all her twenty three years of life, Martha had never felt so much pain. She had lost the two most important people in her life. Her parents; Brett and Ruth Macklin. They were gone; gone forever. They were never coming back. They had been cruelly snatched away from her. Leaving her with no parents; leaving her with no blood relatives on her side.

There were only three people who knew exactly how Martha was feeling at this very moment. They were the three young men who were standing by her side; watching on as the four caskets were lowered into their deep graves.

You see, fate had been more than just cruel on the day of Brett and Ruth's deaths. They were not the only ones taken from this world. Two other lives had also been lost. The lives of Charles and Michelle Mackenzie had also been taken. Macca, Bruiser and the oldest brother Charlie had also had their parents ripped away from them.

Four amazing people had been taken; all at once. All in one freak car accident; or so it seemed. Martha knew better. Her family was powerful. They were rich. They had a hold over Summer Bay. Their deaths were no accident.

They were eliminated, erased from the picture; leaving only their children to do the best that they could.

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"I can't believe they're gone," Martha said in a hushed voice after all the mourners had left. She, along with the three boys were finally left alone; left alone to say their final goodbyes.

"We just have to stay strong," Charlie squeezed Martha's shoulder. "We will get through this, and we will keep on living. It's what our parents would have wanted," he said.

"Charlie is right," Macca nodded. "They might be gone, but we are still strong. We are still the Macklin's and the Mackenzie's. We still have the power, and we still have a hold over this town. Nobody will take that away from us," he explained.

Martha frowned. "But the three of you; you have each other. You're brothers. I have no one. There is nothing connecting me to this family anymore," she said to the boys.

"You're Martha Macklin; the last standing Macklin. The Macklin's were important; your father ruled this town," Macca began. "You're his only heir; you do know what that means, don't you?" he exclaimed.

"Of course I do," Martha sighed as she turned around and started walking away from them. "I'm going to go for a walk; I need some space," she told them.

"We'll walk home," Bruiser called out to her. "We'll have the Limo wait by the gate for you".

Martha nodded her acceptance and then continued on her way.

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Martha walked aimlessly around the cemetery for what seemed like hours. She didn't know why, but she felt at peace there. Her family was buried there; she felt as though she belonged.

"Martha," a voice called out from behind her.

She knew that voice anywhere. It had calmed her a lot as a child. It was a gentle voice; a caring voice.

"Grandad," Martha stated as she turned to face Alf Stewart.

"How are you love?" Alf asked her.

"I've had better days," Martha exclaimed.

Alf nodded in understanding. "Me too," he said.

"Thank you for coming today," Martha then said.

"Ruth was my daughter. Of course I would be here," Alf said softly.

Martha and Alf stood in a silence for a few more moments before Martha eventually broke it. "Why are you still here?" she asked.

"I want to speak to you about coming home. Home with me," Alf answered. "You and I haven't had much to do with each other over the last ten years, and now with your parents gone; I think it would be best if you came to live with me at the beach side mansion. You have no living relatives on this side anymore; we are all you've got left. I know your Aunt Morag and your cousin Ric would love to have you staying with us," he explained.

"No," Martha shook her head. "You know I can't do that. The Mackenzie's are my family too, and the four of us have to stick together now. I will not leave them and I will not let my family name go down in ruins. My father and Charles might be gone, but me and the boys; we're still here. And we have a job to do. I have a job to do," she finished.

Alf was hesitant at first but he finally nodded his head in acceptance. "I hope this doesn't mean that you and I have to ignore each other?" he frowned.

"Our families may be at each others throats, but you are still my grandfather. If you ever want to see me; just call me on my private line," Martha told him.

"Thank you," Alf said and leant forward; pulling Martha into a warm hug.

"I should probably go. The car is waiting for me," Martha smiled.

"Goodbye Martha. I hope to see you soon," Alf waved her off.

Martha hated the fight that divided all the Summer Bay families. Sometimes she just wished that there was something that could bring them all together. She didn't care what it was; she just wanted there to be something. But at this point in time, there was nothing that could bring them back together. There was nothing that could take things back to the way they used to be…………………

**PLEASE REVIEW: Something big is about to go down and Jack Holden is stuck right in the middle of it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**NOTE: The Henderson/Nadar family are kind of allies with the Stewart/Holden family.**

**CHAPTER TWO**

Two Months Later

Martha skipped down the stairs; pulling her silk robe tightly around her body. She was in a happy mood this morning. It was the first morning in a long time that she had woken up happy. It had been two months since the death of her family and she was finally starting to come to grips with her loss. She was starting to move on.

"Just call me angel of morning, angel. Just touch my cheek before you leave me, oh baby," Martha sung out loud as she entered the dining area; four pairs of eyes watching her in amusement. "Good morning everyone," she grinned as she made her way towards her chair.

"Wow, someone is in a good mood today," Macca laughed.

"I feel as though today is going to be a good day," Martha shrugged. "Morning Blondie," she then said to Tasha as she leant down and quickly air-kissed her cheek.

"Well, it's great to see you with a smile on your face," Bruiser said as he took a bite of buttered toast.

"Mhmm," Martha mumbled as she made herself comfortable in her chair. "Oh croissants; yummy," she said happily as she reached out and took one from the plate.

Martha quickly buttered her croissant and took a bite. "These are good," she said with a mouthful as she filled her glass with juice. "Where did they come from? I thought all the staff had gone on holiday," she took a sip of her drink.

"I called the bakery and ordered them," Tasha answered.

"Thanks Hun," Martha smiled in appreciation. She took another bite of her breakfast before starting a conversation with Tasha and Kim. "You going to the prison to see your dad today?" she asked them.

"Yea," Kim nodded. "We should be heading off soon actually," he said as glanced at his watch.

"Just remember; I'll do everything I can to get him out of that place," Martha started. "My dad and Charles promised you that they would get him out; but they're gone now, so the boys and I are going to work on it instead," she explained.

"It means a lot to us," Tasha smiled at Martha.

Martha nodded in understanding whilst taking another bite of food. "Hey, where's Charlie?" she then asked; only just noticing that he wasn't there. "The six of us usually have breakfast together; so where is he?" she was curious.

"Take a wild guess," Bruiser laughed.

Martha needn't ask anymore questions. She knew the answer. "God, I thought we told him to stay away from her. She's the enemy for frack sake, and not to mention engaged to be married," she started to rant. "And to a cop mind you," she added.

"Talking about me, are we?" Charlie waltzed into the dining room.

"Yes, I am," Martha snapped. "If you wanna stick it somewhere; stick it somewhere. Just not in Amanda Vale," she frowned.

Charlie laughed at her. "I'm just having some fun sunshine," he grinned.

"She's Henderson's sister," Martha pointed out.

"And your point is?" Charlie started to gulp down some coffee.

Martha groaned. "Exactly what I just said; she's Henderson's sister. She works for the other side, and is probably using you for information. Besides, she's just gotten engaged to that pig. Stay away from her Charlie," she begged.

"And like I just said; I'm just tappin that ass. A few more rounds and I'll move onto the next woman," Charlie smirked.

"Whatever," Martha sighed. "Just stay away from the Hunter girls. My grandfather will kill you if you mess with any of the women from his side," she warned him as she stood up and headed out of the dining area.

"I'm going for a shower; I'll see you all later tonight at the meeting," she gave them a wave over her shoulder. "Try not to kill anyone before then".

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"Will you be okay here by yourself?" Macca called up the stairs.

"I'll be fine," Martha called out as she threw her robe on over her black underwear. She picked up her towel and started to rub at her wet hair. "I'll see you all later tonight," she said as she walked from her room and stood at the balcony; looking down at the front door towards Macca.

"I just don't like the idea of you being here alone; especially with all the staff gone for the weekend aswell," Macca said to her.

"I'll be fine," Martha told him again as she pranced down the stairs. "Now go; I'll lock the door behind you. And I'll even set the alarm," she reasoned.

"Okay, bye," Macca finally left.

Martha stood at the door; watching as Macca's limo left the premises. Once he was out of site she closed it; locking it behind her. As Martha made her way back up the winding stairs she felt an eerie presence come over her. She looked around the suddenly dark room and had to remind herself that her staff had the weekend off. She had granted that to them for the holiday weekend; the Easter weekend.

Martha took two stairs at a time to get to her bedroom faster. She walked in closing the door behind her and closed her eyes. There was nothing to be scared of; the house had been empty plenty of times before.

Suddenly Martha felt something grab her from behind. A hand covered her mouth and she could smell the putrid acid leaking into her lungs. Chlorophyll. Martha became frantic and tried to move away but her body went weak and limp and soon a sweet darkness took over her mind and body.

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Josh West felt her small body go weak and then lifted her petite frame; throwing her onto the bed. He tightened a rope around her wrists and then her ankles. He had to make sure that if she woke she would not escape. Feeling confident that she would not pry herself loose he removed his scarf from his pocket and wound it tight covering her mouth and knotting it behind her head as a gag. This would keep the screams from being heard by anyone near the car. Josh then picked up her light body and quickly exited the house through the back door. He made his way to the car which he had hidden on the premises. He threw her into the boot; slamming the trunk door shut. He then got in and drove away from the Macklin/Mackenzie Estates.

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Jack Holden walked down the somewhat quiet halls of the Henderson mansion. "Hello, anyone here?" he called out.

"If you're looking for Ash and Corey, they're in the garage at the back of the house," a female voice came from behind Jack.

Jack groaned inwardly; already knowing who the voice belonged to. "Sam," he exclaimed as he turned around to face her.

"Hi Jack," she purred as she sidled up next to him. "What are you doing here?" she ran her finger down his leather jacket.

"I'm just here to see your boss," Jack answered as he moved away from her and continued his way down the hall.

"Well, like I said; Corey's out in the garage with Ash," Sam called out after him.

Jack carried on silence as he made his way towards the back. He came to the door and stopped before pushing it open. Along with Ash and Corey; he could hear another voice. They obviously weren't alone. He quickly rapped on the door before pushing it open.

"Jack, my man; you're finally here," Corey practically beamed as he shook hands with Jack. "What took you so long?" he asked as he took a drag of a cigarette.

"Just had to do a few things for the boss," Jack answered.

"God, is old man Stewart ever gonna cark it?" Corey laughed.

Jack didn't laugh. He didn't find it funny.

"Just kidding man. Just kidding," Corey smirked as pounded Jack on the back.

Jack cracked a smile, even though in the back of his mind, all he wanted to do was crack Corey's face. The guy was such a scumbag. "So, what's so important? Why am I here?" Jack then asked.

"We got an unconscious girl in the boot of the car," Ash revealed to Jack.

Jack looked up in surprise. "Who?" he was curious.

"You'll find out soon brother," Corey started. "But first; I need to tell you my plan. Oh sorry, you've met Josh haven't you?" he pointed to Josh who was sitting on the boot of the car.

"A few times," Jack nodded. "So what's this plan? And who's in the boot?" he asked again.

"You'll find out who she is soon enough," Ash laughed. "But the plan; I'll let Corey explain," he said as he lit up his own cigarette.

Corey started pacing the room; waving his hands around excitedly. "So this girl; she means a lot to this bunch of blokes. Kinda like a sister, I guess. But yes, she's important to them, and I'm sure they'd do anything to get her back," he started to explain. "Anyway, these brothers are pretty high ranked you know? And well, I want their power. And to get it; I need the girl," he finished.

"Okay," Jack was unsure of what was Corey was really saying. "So let me get this straight; you'll give her back if they give you all their power and wealth?" he asked.

"Spot on old friend," Corey winked. "Either that or I'll just kill them and take what I want," he added.

"Right," Jack tried to smile. "Great plan," he said; trying not to sound sarcastic.

"So, me and Ash just have to go and have a little chat; do you mind staying here with Joshy. Keep an eye on him; he bugs me," Corey rolled his eyes as he opened the door to the garage. "Hey, don't look in that trunk. I want to be here when you finally find out who she is," he smirked.

Jack laughed out loud. "Don't worry; I won't," he played along.

As soon as Ash and Corey had closed the door behind them, Jack quickly pulled his gun out and pressed it to Josh's temple. "Who is she?" he demanded to know.

"I can't tel…..," Josh started but Jack cut him off.

"You will tell me, coz if you don't; I'll splatter you're brains all over that wall," he pressed the gun harder into Josh's head.

"Macklin; Its Martha Macklin," Josh stuttered. "You're bosses granddaughter," he exclaimed.

Jack felt a chill run down his spin. "What did you just say?" he sneered at Josh.

"You heard what I said," Josh pulled himself away from Jack.

Jack lowered his gun. He couldn't believe it. His boss's granddaughter was in the trunk.

"Oh crap," Jack groaned.

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**PLEASE REVIEW**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

Jack's insides were churning. Martha Macklin was in the trunk of somebody's shit box car. He knew immediately that he had to get her out. The boss would skin him alive if he even let Corey touch her.

"Open it," Jack ordered as he waved the gun at the car.

"Don't be stupid. Why would I do that?" Josh scoffed.

"The last time I checked; there was a gun pointing at you. Oh, look at that; there still is," Jack said sarcastically. "Now open the good damned trunk," he demanded.

"Corey will kill me," Josh shook his head.

"Corey will kill you?" Jack laughed. "Mother fucker; I'll kill you," he exclaimed as he cocked the trigger on his gun.

"Okay, okay," Josh held his hands up in defense. He moved over to the trunk of the car and slid the key in.

Jack moved up beside him and popped open the trunk. Before Jack could even register what was going, a pair of feet was flying at him. The feet connected with his stomach; sending him flying back.

From the floor Jack watched as Martha sat up in the trunk, only to be hit square in the face by Josh's fist. The impact knocked her out cold.

"Stupid whore," Josh laughed as he rubbed his fist.

"You son of a bitch," Jack roared as he jumped up and started pounding his own fists into Josh's face.

Josh fell to the ground; groaning in pain. Jack quickly snatched his gun up off the ground and then took the keys from out of the boot. He looked down at Martha; taking in her appearance. She had a small cut above her eyebrow, from where Josh had punched her. Blood was dripping from it. Jack hated the thought of leaving her in there, but he knew that the only way he would get her out of there alive, was if he kept her in the trunk and drove away from the property as if nothing had gone on. Jack lowered the trunk door and slammed it shut. He turned and looked down at Josh.

"Just out of curiosity; how was he gonna do it? How was he gonna kill her?" he asked.

"He was gonna burn her alive. The tank of petrol is in the back seat of the car," Josh moaned to him, without even having to be threatened. Obviously he didn't want another punch in the face.

Jack just nodded. "Tell ya boss I said goodbye," he smirked.

He then jumped in the car; turning on the ignition. He revved it a few times before speeding out of the garage. Luckily for him, the front gate was open, so he didn't even have to stop.

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"So, who should we do in first; Macklin or Holden?" Corey laughed as he headed back down to the garage with Ash.

Ash laughed along with him. "I'd say the broad. I'd love to see the look on Jack's face as we burned her alive," he said with malice in his voice.

"I'm going to have to agree with you on that one, brother," Corey nodded. "Ashton, my man; today is going to be a good day. It's going to be the start of something new. This town is going to be ours in no time," he grinned.

Ash grinned back at him, but then started to frown. "What was that?" he asked.

"What was what?" Corey was confused.

Ash took off like a rocket. He smashed open the door to the garage; just in time to see Josh's beat up old bomb speeding down the drive way.

"Son of a bitch," Corey roared when he finally realised what was going on. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Josh hunched over. "You imbecile; you let him take her. You let him take her," he screamed out as he strode over towards Josh and kicked him right in the face with steel capped boot.

Corey was seething. His eyes were flashing with anger. "Call Zoë; tell her that I need her," he told Sam; who had now joined them.

"Of course; anything for you," Sam nodded as she smiled flirtatiously at him before walking away.

"What now?" Ash questioned.

"We leave it up to Zoë. I'm sure they'll be dead by the end of the day," Corey exclaimed.

Corey then clicked his fingers; enticing two large burly men into the room. "Get that moron out of my sight," he said as he pointed at Josh. "Take him into my private room. I'll deal with him later," he ordered.

The two men nodded at him and grabbed Josh from off the floor. They dragged him from the room; kicking and screaming.

Corey then turned back to Ash. "Where's that slutty sister of mine?" he asked.

"I'm guessing with that fiancé of hers," Ash answered.

Corey nodded. "Find out where he lives. I think I need to pay him a visit," he exclaimed.

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Martha winced at the pain above her eyebrow. That bastard punched me, she thought to herself. But hey, at least she got one kick in.

Martha tried to move but to no avail. Her arms were tied behind her back so there wasn't much she could do. She had her eyes covered, so she couldn't see a thing. Not that she'd be able to see anything anyway. It was dark in the trunk. Martha searched with small fingers; trying to find anything that she could use to cut herself free. Bringing her feet up she felt around with the pads of them for a latch or anything she could use to make her escape. Of course there was nothing.

She was dead. Martha knew it the second she awoke in the car; the piece of shit car that reeked of urine and blood. Martha felt the road under her body. They were driving and it seemed like it was going to be a long drive. Martha's mouth was sore from the gag, her face burned from the punch and all she wanted to do was scream at the restrictions her feet and hands were in. They were going to kill her.

Tears began make their way down her cheeks and she tried so hard to stop them, holding them in as best she could. It was no use. Her life was being cut short. She knew why, it wasn't a mystery to as of why. It was who she was, how she was brought up. Death was most definitely expected. She had tried to stay in the background though. She had tried to be fair with her decisions, but sometimes it was damn near impossible not to upset someone who would maybe seek revenge.

The panic started to sink in. Her life was going to be taken. No weddings, no children, no man to love for the rest of her life. She tried hard to think happy thoughts, but it just seemed to make things worse. At this point, she could only hope that her death would come quick and without suffering.

She thought about her friends and family, and their reaction to her death. She wondered who it would be that would find her dead rotting corpse. Would it be one of the boys, or would her killer make sure that it was ageing grandfather that found her. Martha knew that finding her body would be enough to send her grandfather to an early grave.

At that point, Martha made a promise to herself that she would fight for her life. She wasn't going to let them take it away from her that easy. She wasn't going to let family and friends suffer. The way she saw it; if she was going to die, then sure as hell, she was going to take someone with her.

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Jack drove for about an hour before he finally came to a stop. He was hungry so he'd found an old beaten down diner. They were sure to have some big greasy burger that he could chow down on. After the day that he'd had; he deserved it.

Jack also knew that it wasn't a good idea to keep Martha in the trunk for to much longer. He knew that she was awake as he could hear her feet banging against the trunk door. He could tell that she was desperate to get out. She'd surely kick his ass when she found out that he had been the one who had kept her in there for so long. That was only if she remembered him of course.

Jack let out a loud huff as he stepped out of the car. He slowly made his way towards the back of the car. He slid the key into the trunk and turned it…………….

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**PLEASE REVIEW**


	4. Chapter 4

**NOTE: I decided to still have Peter as a cop in this fic. And he's also going to be Amanda's fiancé too! Just incase anyone forgot; Amanda is Corey's older half sister in this fic. They have the same mother; just different fathers. Their parents are all dead anyway; that's why Corey and Ash are in charge.**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Martha was thankful when the car finally came to a stop. She felt as though she had been in that disgusting trunk for hours. She craved to breathe in some clean fresh air.

She heard the car door slam shut and a few moments later the key turning in the lock. Martha quickly dropped her head back and lay in silence. Maybe she could pretend to still be out cold. That way she could strike when the bastard least expected it.

She heard the lid creaking open. She tried her hardest not to make a sound. Martha could feel his eyes on her; she flinched a little. She couldn't help but feel naked. All she had on was her under garments and silk robe.

"You can stop pretending," the voice said to her as he reached out and poked her in the shoulder. "I know you're awake; I could hear you thrashing around in here earlier," he reached out and removed the gag from her mouth.

Martha took in a deep breath before launching into a verbal assault. "Let me out of here you son of a bitch," she yelled out.

She then felt his hands near her face. He started to untie the cloth that was covering her eyes. Martha felt it drop from her face and she immediately closed her eyes; the afternoon sun burning her eyes. She slowly opened them; letting them adjust to the light.

Everything was a bit blurry, so she couldn't quite see the man's face yet. From the corner of her eye, she spotted something glistening in the sunlight. A knife.

"What are you doing? Get that away from me," she yelled at her attacker.

"Relax princess; I'm just cutting the ropes away from you hands and feet," he said to her as he quickly released her from the restraints.

Martha jumped up and pushed him in the chest; knocking him backwards. "Stay away from me," she warned as she held her hands up.

At least he's listening to me, Martha thought to herself. The guy just stood on the spot; watching her in amusement. Martha took in his appearance. He didn't look that old. She guessed that he must have been about her age; maybe a couple of years older. He was good looking too; that she had to admit. But the thing that really got to her; there was something oddly familiar about him.

"Who are you? Why did you kidnap me? Where am I?" Martha started to fire off questions.

"First off; I didn't kidnap you. I just saved your life, so you should be thanking me," he answered.

"Me, thank you? You've got to be kidding me," Martha laughed. "You put me in the trunk of some foul car. You punched me in the face. You totally kidnapped me," she yelled at him as she pointed to the bruise on her face. "Look, I'm bleeding," she then snapped as she tried to wipe the blood away from her brow.

"You'll get over it," the guy laughed at her.

"Don't you dare laugh at me," Martha growled as she rubbed at her sore wrists. Red rashes circled them. She was pissed off that her soft skin was now bruised and ugly. She looked up at the arrogant jerk and noticed that he was still laughing at her. How dare he, she thought. Martha looked closely at his face again. She was positive that she had met him before.

"Am I supposed to know you?" she spat out.

"Of course you are," he smirked at her. "We grew up together," he added.

Martha opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was at a lost for words. She'd know that smirk anywhere. "Jack," she finally managed to say.

"The one and only," Jack grinned.

"Oh geez," Martha groaned as she slumped her shoulders. What did she do to deserve this?

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"I found out where Peter Baker lives," Ash informed Corey as he walked into the office and sat down across from him.

"Great; I'll pay him a visit tomorrow morning," Corey said as he leant down and took a line of cocaine. "Yeah, that hit the spot," he sighed as he sat back in his chair and rubbed at his nose.

"Amanda is still nowhere to be found," Ash then told Corey.

"She's probably out opening her legs for some guy. My sister the slut," Corey smirked.

"She claims that she's so in love with Baker, but yet, she still sleeps around on him," Ash scoffed.

"She gets it from our mother. She was a slut too; that's why she's dead," Corey exclaimed.

Ash nodded in agreement. "Any news on Holden and Macklin?" he then asked.

"Zoë's out there looking for them now," Corey answered. "She's like a dog; she'll find anything. And I know she wont come home until they're dead," he added.

"Hopefully they haven't gotten too far," Ash exclaimed. "We're also going to have to start thinking about what's going to happen when the Mackenzie's find out. Same goes for old man Stewart. He's going to be pissed when he finds out we tried to kill his granddaughter," he pointed out.

"I'm not going to worry about any of that yet," Corey told him. "I'll worry about it when the time comes. All I care about right now; is making sure that those two are dead. With Martha gone, the Mackenzie's and Alf Stewart will be putty in our hands," he laughed sadistically.

"This town is going to be ours," Ash sneered.

"Yes me friend; it will be," Corey nodded.

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Martha stared at the man standing in front of her. Jack Holden; she hadn't seen him in over ten years. The last time she had seen him; she'd been eleven or twelve years old. He was thirteen; still a boy. No wonder she hadn't recognized him at first. He wasn't a boy anymore. He was man.

"Are you checking me out?" Jack teased.

"What?" Martha felt her cheeks flush.

"I know I'm sexy and all, but we don't have time for that; we have things to discuss," Jack said with a smile.

Martha resisted the urge to slap his face. "Why are you doing this?" she asked Jack. "Did my grandfather order you to do this? Is he so desperate to have me living with him; that he'd resort to having me kidnapped?" she fired off the questions.

Jack sighed in frustration. "I already told you that I didn't kidnap you. I saved your life," he growled at her.

"Who was it then?" Martha demanded to know.

"Henderson and Nadar. They had one of their goons do their dirty work," Jack answered. "If I hadn't of shown up when I did; you'd be a goner," he added.

"Super," Martha muttered under her breath. "Well, thanks and all, but I'd really appreciate it if you took me home now," she ordered.

"I can't do that," Jack shook his head.

"I beg your pardon," Martha glared at him.

"Corey's people will be after us now. We can't go back until its safe," Jack told her. "And right now; it's not safe. We have to get as far away from here a possible," he added.

Martha huffed. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she spat out.

"Oh there she is; the feisty Martha," Jack laughed. "The one I know and love," he remarked.

"Screw you," Martha sneered.

"Oh, we can arrange that Princess," Jack smirked at her.

"You are such a pig," Martha exclaimed.

"Oh, I may be one, but that wouldn't stop you from bouncing up and down on me now would it?" Jack wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Disgusting," Maria glared at him as he started to walk towards the diner. "Wait; where are you going?" she yelled.

Jack looked at her as if to say 'duh'. "I'm going to eat. I don't know about you; but I'm hungry," she exclaimed.

"I can't go in there. In case you hadn't noticed; I'm practically naked," Martha indicated to what she was wearing.

"Oh, I'd noticed," Jack smirked at her.

"God, why do you have to turn everything in to some sort of sexual innuendo?" Martha frowned.

"I'm a guy and that's what guys do," Jack shrugged.

"Fine. Whatever. But please don't make me go in there," Martha pouted. "I don't want all the dirty old men in there looking at me," she tried to entice him while gently rubbing at the skin above her breast.

"Sorry Princess; you maybe hot, and hell, I'd bang you into next Saturday but there is no way that I'm giving up food just because you're having a cry," Jack laughed at her. She was amusing.

Martha growled; pulling her robe tightly around her body. "Fine, you want food? There's this shack that I go to; it's about an hours drive from here. I was there just last week. There is plenty of food there and some clothes that I can put on," she explained to him. "We can stay there for the night, and perhaps come up with some sort of plan to get ourselves out of this mess. What do you think?" Martha asked him.

Jack paused on the spot and thought for a moment. "Okay. We'll do that then," he agreed as he started walking back to the car.

"Great," Martha exclaimed as she spun around and followed him. "Shit," she then yelled out loud as she started hopping on one foot. "I stepped on some glass," she cried.

"Man, do you have to be such a girl?" Jack laughed at her.

"I am a girl you moron," Martha snapped at him.

"That I had noticed too," Jack roved his eyes up and down her body. "Now get in," he said as he opened the passenger side door.

"What no trunk?" Martha said smartly.

"Don't be smart," Jack said to her.

"I'm not. I just thought that was where all your women would ride," Martha was seeping with sarcasm.

"Get in the car," Jack said again as he walked around to the drivers side.

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Zoë watched from afar as Jack and Martha got into the car and started to peel out of the car park. She quickly dialed a number on her phone and waited for someone to answer.

"Have you found them?" Corey asked from the other end of the phone.

"Yeah, I'm following them. They've just left that old diner about an hour out of Summer Bay," Zoë told her boss.

"Great. I want you to kill them at the first possible chance; got it?" Corey told her.

"Got it," Zoë replied. "So, are you going to wait up for me tonight baby?" She smiled into her phone. She laughed at Corey's response.

"Of course I will Zoë. We're going to be screaming each others name," Corey told her.

"You know I love it when you say my name," Zoë smiled.

"I know. So just hurry up and do the job. Then you can get back to me," Corey purred at her down the phone.

"I will. Do you want me to bring back any souvenirs?" Zoë asked him. She knew how he loved to keep count of his victories.

"There bodies would be great," Corey replied.

"Okay; I'll see you soon lover," Zoë hung up the phone and quickly drove out of the car park.

In the distance she spotted the car. "This is going to be so much fun," she laughed to herself. "So much fun".

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	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Martha sat still in her seat; looking straight ahead. She was trying her hardest to ignore the glances that Jack kept throwing her way. She shuffled a little in her seat; pulling her robe tighter around her body. She wanted to make sure he didn't see something he wasn't supposed too. She felt so naked in front of him and the way he kept looking at her was making her uncomfortable. Feeling his eyes on her once more, she finally snapped.

"Is there a problem?" she glared at him.

"No," Jack laughed. "I was just thinking about how much you had changed," he told her.

"Obviously," Martha said sarcastically. "It has been ten years since we last seen each other. I'm not a twelve year old kid anymore," she exclaimed with a roll of her eyes.

"Neither am I," Jack pointed out. "I'm curious; how did you eventually figure out who I was? Back at the diner, I mean," he asked Martha.

"It was that stupid smirk. I'd know it anywhere," Martha answered.

Jack laughed; thinking back to his childhood. They'd had some fun times when they were kids. "What happened to us?" he asked with a serious tone to his voice. "We grew up together. We were best friends; we practically used to eat out of each others hands. What happened to that?" Jack said to her.

Martha sighed. "The Henderson's and the Nadar's came along. And they………ruined everything," she trailed off. "They drove a wedge between our families. After that; things just changed," she said.

Jack nodded his head in agreement. "If only we knew then, what we know now," he exclaimed.

A brand new silence engulfed the car as they drove down the deserted road. After a few more minutes, Jack broke it.

"I'm sorry about your parents; it must have been hard," he said.

Martha shrugged. "Yeah; it was. But hey, shit happens," she tried to smile. "I'm sorry about your mum too," she suddenly said.

"Yeah, it was pretty rough," Jack nodded; keeping his eyes trained on the road. "She got hit by a car. It was about six months after the…um," he stopped.

"I like to think of it as the great divide," Martha smiled. "Yeah; I remember when it happened; my mum was really cut up about it. She really wanted to go to the funeral, but after the fight between our families; she didn't think it was a good idea," she explained to Jack.

After a few moments, Martha started to laugh. "You know; I think I have this picture at home of the two of us in the bath together when we were about six. My mum used to get it out all the time and torment me about it. So not funny for a fourteen year old girl," huffed. "Want to hear the big one though? I remember my mother saying that when we were kids, our fathers were thinking of an arranged marriage between us," she exclaimed.

"Really?" Jack smirked.

"Yes. Apparently we were to be married at the age of twenty," Martha nodded. She then smirked at him. "My mother also said that there was every indication that as an adult, you would be very well endowed," she wiggled her eyebrows at him. Martha laughed at the discomfort he was obviously feeling.

"Well, you're mother was totally right," Jack then started to grin.

"Wow," Martha gasped. "You've really got some tickets on yourself there, hey?" she remarked.

"I'm just confident," Jack stated.

"No, you're just up yourself," Martha snorted.

"Now….," Jack started but then stopped what he was about to say when he looked in the rearview mirror. "We're being followed," he told Martha.

Martha panicked as she turned in her seat to get a better look. She spotted the black car a few car lengths behind them. As the seconds rolled on, the car got closer.

"Fuck," Martha banged her fist on the dashboard. By now, the car was right on their tale. "It's going to ram us," but her words came too late.

The car smashed right into the back of them; sending their car lurching forward. Luckily enough, Jack managed to keep the car in control.

"Jack," Martha screamed as the other car sped up beside them.

"I know," Jack growled as he put his foot down hard on the accelerator.

"How the fuck did we manage to get stuck in this piece of shit?" Martha cried. "Can't this damn thing go any faster?" she yelled at Jack.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Jack yelled back at her.

"Not fast enough buddy," Martha snapped as the other car tapped at them again.

"Maybe if you shut that hole in your face; I'd be able to concentrate," Jack sneered at her.

But once again; words were too late. The black car rammed into the side; sending it spinning out of control. Jack could hear Martha's screams. They shattered his brain as the car flipped and suddenly her screams became quiet.

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Jack opened his eyes; he could feel the blood rushing to his face. He was hanging from his seatbelt; upside down. He could feel the blood dripping down his face and landing in a puddle below him. He groaned at the pain in his head as he unhooked his seatbelt; letting him drop from his seat.

Jack pushed at the door and pulled himself from the wreckage. He stood up and shook his head; trying to remember what had just happened. He looked up at the road and spotted the other car; it looked as though the driver was slumped in their seat.

Jack spun around when he heard something ignite. The car was on fire. He ran around to Martha's side and pulled open the door. She was just hanging there; blood dripping from her face. She was unconscious. Jack wrapped an arm around her and quickly unhooked her seatbelt. He needed to get her out of there before the car blew.

He pulled her from the car and started to drag her away when he heard a female voice from behind him.

"You're not going anywhere Holden," she said as she cocked her gun.

Jack turned around to look at the red-headed woman. "Zoë," Jack laughed. "What? Now Corey and Ash have women doing their dirty work for them?" he asked.

"Put the fucking girl down," Zoë ordered.

Jack noticed that she was a little unsteady on her feet. The crash must have fucked her up as much as it had them.

"Put your hands where I can see them," Zoë screamed at him.

"Fuck you," Jack snarled at her.

"I wanna see your hands," Zoë roared again. Jack sniggered when she almost tripped in the mud as she approached him.

"Put the fucking girl down now," Zoë spat as she waved the gun around. 

"Okay, okay…" Jack said, trying to reassure her. He couldn't risk Martha being shot by this bitch, so he opted on putting her down.

"Fucking hands," Zoë smiled sadistically. Jack raised his palms so she could see that he wasn't armed.

Zoë grinned at him "I have a message from Corey and Ash," she told him.

"See you in hell Holden," and with that a shot was released. Jack closed his eyes as he flung his hand into his jacket; grabbing for his gun.

As he brought it out to fire he watched as Zoë suddenly fell to her knees and then face first into the mud. Shot dead. 

Jack stood on the spot stunned. That is, until he looked down and found Martha kneeling at his feet; a small caliber gun in her hand.

"Fucking bitch," Martha spat out.

Jack laughed at her. She'd shot Zoë. Shot her with a gun that she'd snatched from his leg holster.

Martha looked up at Jack with a smile on her face. "You didn't think the Macklin women would be raised without knowing how to fire a gun first, did you?" she laughed at him.

"Apparently I did," Jack scratched his head. He then leant down to help her up.

"My head hurts," Martha groaned. "I'm driving the next car Kenevil. I'm never letting you drive again," she added.

"We'll have to take her car," Jack pointed down at Zoë's dead body. "Speaking of cars, we have to move right now. Ours is gonna blow," he urged as he held out his hand for her to take.

"How do you know?" Martha asked as she took his hand and started running with him up the steep ravine with him; towards Zoë's car.

"There's a can of petrol in the back seat," Jack cringed as he said it.

Martha gasped. "They were going to set me on fire?" she was horrified.

Jack shrugged. "I'm sure they would have shot you first. You wouldn't have felt a thing," he assured her.

"You're unbelievable," Martha snapped. "Fuck you," she cried as she stomped off towards the car.

"Women," Jack muttered as he followed her.

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"There are no lights on. I thought Martha was going to be home," Charlie said to his brothers as they walked up towards the front door of their mansion.

"She probably went out," Macca suggested.

Charlie didn't like the feeling he was getting. "Something isn't right," he exclaimed.

He unlocked the door and walked inside; moving towards the alarm so that he could turn it off. "The alarm isn't set," he spat out when he noticed that the alarm wasn't on.

"She told me she'd turn it on after I left," Macca started to get worried.

"Get the tapes from the security camera's; something is wrong," Bruiser told Charlie as he launched himself up the stairs towards Martha's bedroom.

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	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

Charlie was fuming. He could literally feel his blood bubbling. He was sitting in front of the wide screen TV with his brothers, Kim, Tasha and a few of their men. They were playing and then replaying the security tape over and over again; watching Martha's abduction.

"Who is that son of a bitch?" Charlie sneered as he watched Martha's body fall limp for about the hundredth time.

"It's Joshua West," Tasha answered when nobody else did.

"Who does he work for?" Bruiser asked.

"Nobody really; he'll just go with whoever gives him the most money," Tasha explained. "But, if we're gonna take a wild guess; it's usually Henderson or Nadar, and he's even done a few dealings with old man Stewart," she added.

"Old Alfie wouldn't have his own granddaughter kidnapped, would he?" Macca said; although he wasn't so sure.

"I don't think he would," Kim exclaimed.

"Kim's right," Tasha agreed with her brother. "He wouldn't do that; he loves Martha too much. Martha didn't want you to know, coz she thought it might upset you, but she's been meeting with Alf. He's her blood; one of only a few left. She needs him and he needs her. He wouldn't have done this," she told them.

"I don't know why she would be worried about us being upset; she can do what she wants. She doesn't have to explain herself to us," Charlie frowned. "But let's not worry about that now. We need to find her. We need to know who is behind this," he said.

"Yeah; I don't care that it's late," Bruiser stood up from his seat. "Let's head over and see Alf. He needs to know what's going on. I'm sure he'll send some of his men out to help," he said.

Charlie watched as everyone exited the room. Once he was alone, he turned back to the TV. He rewound the tape again and pressed play. He clenched a hand into a fist. If they had harmed one hair on her head; he'd slaughter them; one after the other.

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"Well, isn't this just cozy," Jack exclaimed as he followed Martha into the small shack.

It was only very small. It had a small kitchen and a table with a few chairs around it. There were a few cupboards lined up against the walls, a small couch and a double bed that looked might comfy. Jack noticed another door off to the side; he guessed it was to the bathroom.

"Don't talk to me. I hate you," Martha glared at him as she locked the door behind them.

"Tsk tsk Martha," Jack laughed. "There is no need to be like that. Besides, you should love me; I saved your life. You owe me big time," he pointed out as he looked around the small room.

Martha turned around to face Jack; listening to the crap that was spewing from his mouth. "You're delusional. That car accident must have done a bit of damage to your head. You are the one who owes me, my friend," she laughed in his face. She opened her mouth again; ready to start her rant. "I was tied up and locked in the trunk of a rotten car. I got punched in the face and then you kept me in the trunk for even longer. You made me step on glass, and you tried to make me go into that rat infested diner. Eew. You then proceeded to flip a car with me inside it; almost killing me. You see this face; it's not supposed to be bleeding," she yelled as she pointed at her face.

"Firstly, most of those incidents weren't even my fault. And as for you stepping on a piece of glass, oh boo hoo; cry me a fucking river," Jack started. "And secondly; I pulled your cute little ass from that car before it blew into smithereens. Sweetie; I don't owe you squat," he exclaimed.

"If it wasn't for me buddy, you'd be dead," Martha poked him in the chest. "I had to shoot that bitch just to save your stinking life," she poked him one more time for good measure.

"Yeah, whatever," Jack muttered in a mock surrender. "So, where's the food?" he then asked; ignoring Martha's icy glare.

"You are such a pig," Martha scoffed at him and turned around; walking across the room towards the bathroom. "You can raid the cupboards and the fridge while I take a shower. You can go after me," she said before slamming the bathroom door behind her.

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"So, what do I owe this pleasure?" Alf looked around at the group of people that had just entered his mansion. "I would think that my granddaughter would be here accompanying you. Where is she?" he asked.

Charlie cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Martha is the reason why we are here," he said. "I think you should watch this," he handed a tape to the old man.

"What's this?" Alf questioned as he handed the tape to Tony; his right hand man.

"It's a security tape from our place," Charlie answered him as Tony popped the tape into a player.

"Why do I not like the sound of this?" Alf exclaimed as he picked up the video remote and pressed play. He then proceeded to watch in anger as he witnessed his granddaughters attack and abduction. "What is the meaning of this?" he roared as he rewound it and watched it again.

"That's Josh West; I'm sure you know him," Macca started to explain. "As you can see, he's taken Martha. Now, we don't know where she is or who she is with. She could be dead for all we know," he trailed off.

"It's starting" Alf slammed his fist down hard on a table; knocking a vase to the ground. It smashed into pieces when it hit the ground.

"What's starting?" Charlie was curious.

"I've been waiting for this day; the day when the Henderson's and Nadar's would make their move," Alf started. "They're trying to take over and they're going to use Martha to make sure they get what they want," he explained.

"So you're sure that it's them?" Bruiser questioned him.

Alf nodded. "It's them. And if we're to get Martha back, then we will have to work together. Do you think we could accomplish that without getting into a fight," he then stuck his hand out for Charlie to shake.

"We'll do anything if it means getting Martha back," Charlie shook Alf's hand in return.

"Very good," Alf nodded. He then turned to Tony. "Have you been able to find Jack yet?" he asked.

"No," Tony shook his head. "Luc's been out with Robbie; looking for him, but so far they've come up with nothing," he told Alf.

"We need to find him. He's one of my best men and I need him by my side," Alf sighed as he sat down on a chair. "I need him to find my granddaughter………….."

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"That feels so much better," Jack sighed happily as he emerged from the bathroom; clad in only a towel.

"You still look like crap," Martha exclaimed from her place on the bed. "You look like you've had the shit kicked out of you," she said as she popped open a black briefcase and started riffling through it.

"Have you looked in a mirror recently princess?" Jack laughed as looked over her.

"You were the one who flipped the car and nearly killed us," Martha scoffed. "Here, put these on," she threw a stack of clothes at him.

"Whose are they?" Jack asked her.

Martha shrugged. "Macca's. Charlie's. I don't know," she rolled her eyes. "Does it really matter?"

"Apparently not," Jack muttered as he dropped his towel; leaving him to stand naked in front of Martha.

Martha's eyes widened. She tried her hardest not to look, but she couldn't help it. Martha then averted her eyes; quickly looking up into Jack's smiling face.

"See something you like?" Jack smirked as he pulled on a pair of jeans.

Martha smirked back at him and nodded. "Very nice," she exclaimed. "My mother was right," she laughed.

"You looked good with barely any clothes on too," Jack smiled as he sat down next her as he pulled a shirt on. "But you look good in those jeans too; nice and tight," he said as he looked over Martha's new apparel that consisted of a pair of tight jeans and a black singlet.

"I'm so glad that you approve," Martha said sarcastically.

"So, what do we have here?" Jack then asked as he looked over into the brief case.

"Just some extra cash and weapons that I had stashed away," Martha shrugged. "I knew it would come in handy one day. We're probably going to need it if we want to get home in one piece," she said.

"Nice guns," Jack stated as he picked up one of the pistols and looked it over. "You can have this one," he then said as he handed it to Martha.

Martha looked at him as though he was crazy. "Why do I have to use the girl gun?" she frowned.

Jack snorted. "How about we just figure that out in the morning," he said as he threw the gun back in the case and snapped it shut; placing the case on the ground beside the bed. He really didn't want to get into a stupid argument with her; especially about a gun.

"So, a question?" Jack said as he changed the subject. "Why don't the Mackenzie brothers have protection for you?" he wanted to know. Any idiot should know that she would need protection.

"I don't need protection," Martha answered. "As far as anyone knows; I'm not a part of any of this," she had to bite her tongue from saying anything more. Martha didn't need anyone else knowing how valuable she really was.

"Everyone knows how important you are to those boys," Jack pointed out. "Why do you think Henderson and Nadar took you? You're a bargaining chip Martha," he added.

Martha let out a loud sigh. "They ruined everything. There used to be so much admiration between our families, but then they came along and broke it," she started. Once she had started there was no stopping the words that were soon to come. "I should have sent a hit out on them ages ago. I should have done it before they had the chance to get to me. And to think that I was stupid enough to believe that we could make peace," she suddenly stopped; realizing what she had just said.

"I'm sorry; what?" Jack looked at her with a stunned expression.

Martha looked up at him. She knew it was time to tell the truth. "It's not them. It's not the boys; it's me," she said softly.

"You're fucking joking right?" Jack demanded to know. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. She was in charge.

"When my dad and Charles died, we were at risk. We had to take over the business and all the dealings that came with it. We had to take on the role," Martha started to explain to a shocked Jack. "But I was the rightful leader. My father created his kingdom, and it was only right that I took over. So, the boys do what I tell them to do, and I stay behind the scenes and watch as they pretend to lead," she finished.

Jack was speechless. Martha was the boss. She was the one her men came to and she had made the Macklin name thrive under the appearance of the Mackenzie brothers. She'd been doing so since her parent's deaths and hardly anybody knew the truth.

Jack finally let out the deep breath that he had been holding in. "This is unbelievable," he exclaimed. "At least I now know why Corey and Ash had you kidnapped. They found out that you were the boss. They knew that by eliminating you; their chances of taking over would increase almost by a hundred percent. All they'd have to do after that would be to get rid of Alf. Then the town would be their's," he was finally piecing it all together.

"Two points," Martha tried to smile.

"God, this is insane," Jack rubbed his face. "You do realize that we could be totally screwed. Everyone could be dead, you know that right?" he said to Martha.

"I know," Martha nodded. But that was something she didn't want to think about right now. "We should probably get some sleep," she suggested.

"Yeah," Jack agreed.

"Keep your hands to yourself," Martha warned him. "If I feel any part of your body touching me; you're a dead man," she added.

"We'll see who's touching whom later on," Jack grinned at her.

Martha scoffed and fell back onto the bed; pulling the covers up over her body. Yes, he was hot and yes, she'd screw him, but that didn't mean it was going to happen. He was a perverted pig; so it wasn't going to happen.

"Go to sleep Jack," she exclaimed.

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"Zoë's dead," Corey exclaimed as he walked into Ash's office.

"What? How do you know?" Ash looked up in surprise.

"She's not back yet; she's totally fucked," Corey said. "Another one bites the dust huh," he then laughed.

Ash shrugged as he lit a cigarette. "This is a job we should be doing ourselves anyway," he remarked.

Corey nodded in agreement. "Everybody else just keeps fucking it up. I've sent a few more blokes out to look for them, so if nothing comes from that; we'll head out ourselves. Do the job properly," he smirked.

"When are you going to see Baker?" Ash then asked Corey.

"In the morning," Corey answered.

He then stood up and started to walk from the room. "I'm going to go and see how my mate Joshy is going," he laughed. "Sam's in with him right now. Having some fun with a hot poker, I think," he added.

"That girl is fucked up in the head," Ash laughed along with Corey.

"My favorite type of girl," Corey called out as he exited he room.

Time for some fun, Corey said to himself as he walked down the hall. He could hear the screams echoing down the hall towards him. To him, it was one of the most beautiful sounds known to man kind.

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**NEXT CHAPTER: More Corey antics.**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Martha couldn't sleep. She'd been trying to drop off for the last two hours, but it seemed her mind and body wouldn't allow it. So many thoughts were going through her mind and it was driving her crazy.

Did the boys and her family know she was missing yet? Were they worried about her? Did they know that she was still alive? Were they even still alive? She hated to think what they might have been going through at that moment. No doubt they'd be in the same position as her; unable to sleep.

Of course there was one extra factor that added to her insomnia; Jack Holden. He lay just centimeters away from her on the bed. She could feel the heat radiating off his body, and the sweet scent of the soap that he had used to shower himself with, lingered under her nose.

But that also wasn't the problem why he was keeping her awake. The real problem was driving Martha crazy. Every time she got comfortable, Jack would roll over or start twisting and turning. It seemed he was having trouble sleeping too.

And there he goes again; for about the hundredth time that night, he flopped over; making the bed squeak.

"Oh for gods sakes," Martha cried as she sat up. "Can you stop flopping around; it's like I'm sleeping with a trout," she snapped.

Jack sat up, rubbing at his sleepy eyes. "I'm so sorry princess. But it isn't my fault that this bed is a piece of shit," he growled. "If this was my bed; it would have been chopped up and thrown on the fire a long time ago," he exclaimed.

"Sleep on the floor then," Martha sneered and gave him a hard shove; sending him off the side of the bed. A split second later, Martha heard him hit the ground and groan in pain. "Serves yourself right," she laughed at him.

"When did you turn into such a bitch?" Jack spat out as he pulled himself back up onto the mattress. "You used to be such a sweet girl," he said sarcastically.

"Me, sweet?" Martha said dreamily. "Never. You must be crazy," she exclaimed.

"So, you like to be naughty then?" Jack flirted as he gazed intently into her eyes.

"Stop looking at me like that," Martha turned serious.

"Like what?" Jack smiled at her.

Martha shook her head at him. "Just don't do it? It's making me extremely uncomfortable," she sighed as she lay back down and rolled onto her side.

"Sorry," Jack scoffed as he also lay back down. "I'll try not to do it again," he said sarcastically.

"Can we just try to get some sleep," Martha groaned. "We have a lot to think about in the morning," she said.

"Hey, you were the one who cracked the shits and pushed my off the bed coz I rolled over one too many times," Jack pointed out. "Don't blame me coz you couldn't sleep," he growled as he pulled the blanket up over his head.

"Shut up," Martha snapped.

"Women," Jack muttered. "They only cause you grief. So not worth it," he sighed.

"I heard that," Martha growled.

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Corey was up early the next morning. He wanted to get his visit with Peter Baker over and done with. He got Jesse and Johnny, two of his best and most loyal men, to drive him to the other side of town; where Peter lived.

He knew that Amanda wouldn't be there; no doubt she'd be out with one of her other conquests. For someone who claimed she was so in love with her fiancée, she sure liked to sleep around a lot. Of course Corey applauded her for that; he too liked to share himself around. One was never enough.

"Wait here for me," Corey gave his order to Jesse and Johnny. "I shouldn't be too long," he said as he stepped out of the car and made his way into the apartment block.

It was safe to say that Peter was quite surprised when he found Corey standing on his doorstep with two hot coffee's in hand. "Corey, what can I do for you?" Peter stepped aside and let Corey into his apartment.

"Is my sister in?" Corey faked a smile.

"No, she spent the night at a girlfriend's house," Peter answered him as he closed the door.

Corey laughed to himself. Girlfriend my ass, he thought. "Great, you were the one I actually wanted to speak with," he said to Peter. "Coffee?" he grinned as he held out one of the paper cups.

"Sure," Peter shrugged as he took a cup and took a sip. "So, what did you want to speak to me about?" he asked.

With a fake smile still planted on his face, Corey began to answer. "You're marrying into the family; I just wanted to welcome you," he explained. "Sorry if it's a bit early, but I have things to do today, so now was the only time I could drop by," he exclaimed.

"Its fine," Peter assured him. "I've always got time for Amanda's family," he smiled.

"It's amazing that she has chosen such a fine and outstanding member of the community," Corey started as he stood up and started walking around the room. "And a cop too. I never would have thought that she would marry a cop," he laughed.

"I'm a lucky guy," Peter laughed along with him.

Corey continued to laugh as he walked around the couch; behind Peter. "And that's why I won't allow it," he said as he slid a piece of long wire out from the sleeve of his jacket.

"Won't allow what?" Peter went to turn around.

But Corey was too fast. He quickly wrapped the wire around Peter's throat and started to tighten it. Peter's arms and legs thrashed about; trying to escape Corey's clutches. The wire started to dig into Peter's skin and droplets of blood started to drip down his neck.

"Didn't your precious Amanda tell you what her family done for a living?" Corey whispered in Peter's ear as continued to strangle him. "We're not very nice people Peter. Infact, we're horrible people. That's why we can't afford to have a cop in the family. I tried to warn Amanda but she wouldn't listen to me. She loves you too much," he laughed harshly.

By now, Peter's face had gone blue. His eyes had glazed over and he was quite still. The blood was pretty much gushing from his neck wound now. Corey pulled a few more times on the wire; making sure that Peter was infact dead.

Once he was finished, he slid the wire away from Peter's neck. He picked up a crisp white shirt that was folded over a chair and used it to wipe the wire clean of Peter's blood. He then slid the wire back up his sleeve before dropping the bloodied shirt onto the couch next to Peter.

"Welcome to the family," Corey whispered one more time before exiting the room.

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"So, where are we going now?" Martha asked Jack as she threw a backpack with some extra clothes into the back of the car; Zoë's car.

"I don't know," Jack answered.

"I don't understand why we can't just go home," Martha sighed.

She was desperate to see her family and friends. She needed to see that they were okay.

"I already told you; we can't go back. Not until its safe," Jack told her. "Our friends and family could already be dead, and we'd be walking right back into Corey and Ash's trap," he explained.

"When we find a phone, we have to at least call them and tell them that we are fine," Martha started. "But more importantly; to find out if they are okay," she said softly.

"Look, I hate this as much as you do," Jack said to Martha. "I'd do anything to protect my dad and my brother, and I know I can't do that when I'm not there. But I also know that I have to protect you. Alf would kill me if I ever let anything happen to you, so my job right now, is to be here with you," he explained.

"I just feel so bad about leaving them all there in the middle of this. I'm supposed to be there telling them what to do," Martha sighed.

"The boys will know what to do. No doubt they've already gone to Alf and told them that you are missing," Jack told Martha.

Martha started to laugh. "I wonder if they know I'm with you. Maybe they think that you kidnapped me. Oh, you are in big trouble mister," she tried to stifle her laughs.

"Let's just get out of here," Jack scowled. "I'm sure that they'll figure out what really happened," he said as he walked around to the driver's side of the car.

Martha, realizing what was going on, took off after him. "Oh no no no," she grabbed a hold of his arm. "I told you that I would be driving next. I don't particularly fell like being in another accident. I can't afford to get anymore cuts and bruises on this bod," she explained.

"Fine. Whatever," Jack rolled his eyes as he dropped the keys into her hand.

"Hey," Martha called to Jack just before he jumped into the passenger seat. "I'm sure the boys will find out that you weren't the one who hurt me. There's no need to be scared," she teased.

"I'm not scared," Jack spat out.

"Uh huh," Martha tried not to smile. "Keep telling yourself that".

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"Baby," Amanda called out as she jiggled her keys in the lock. "I'm back," she sing songed as she opened the door.

Amanda was met with a deafening silence. She knew that Peter was home; his car was out in the car park. "Baby, I brought us some breakfast," she called out as she made her way into the apartment.

"I brought your favorite. Pancakes, muff………," she trailed off as the bags fell from her fingers. The scene that greeted her was sickening. Her stomach churned. She felt like she might pass out.

"Nooooo," she cried out. She rushed across the room and fell down next to Peter. "Baby, wake up," she screamed as she shook his body.

She already knew there was no point. He was dead; murdered. She started to sob as she looked over his body. There was so much blood, but she didn't care. She leant down and pulled him to her; holding him tight.

She knew whose handy work this was. He'd given an order and she'd disobeyed him. He'd warned her and now her Peter had paid the ultimate price. She cried harder as she stood and let go of Peter's body. "I love you baby. I'll love you forever," she sobbed as she moved away from him. She knew where she had to go. She couldn't let him get away with this.

She picked up her bag and quickly left the apartment; leaving the door wide open, so that everybody could see exactly how great this community really was.

Amanda had only one destination.

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	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

"We're in the middle of fucking no-where," Martha moaned as she leant against the hood of the car.

Jack groaned inwardly. He was getting sick of her whining. It was all she ever seemed to do. "I can always take you back to Summer Bay; you know that 'place' where the Henderson's and Nadar's want us dead," he said sarcastically as shoved a handful of potato chips into his mouth.

"Don't be smart," Martha rolled her eyes at him. "And stop eating like a pig," she warned him as she went and sat on a patch of grass by the side of the road.

They'd been driving for a few hours now and they had decided on a rest stop. They'd stopped at an old caravan park and had used the bathroom and were now having something to eat; before heading off again.

"So, where are we going to stay tonight?" Martha then asked Jack when he sat down next to her. He passed her a bottle of water and she took a sip.

"I guess we could just sleep in the car," Jack shrugged. He then noticed the disgusted look on her face before making another suggestion. "Or we could try a caravan park or something," he closed his eyes and fell onto his back.

"Well, wherever it is; let's just hope there is a bar near by," Martha said to Jack. "I'm in need of a drink and it has to be something strong. After everything I've been through the last twenty for hours; I need one. My last nerve is about to snap," she added.

Jack let out another groan. There was the whining again. "Anything for you princess," he emphasized.

"Will you stop calling me that," Martha snapped at him.

"No, I will not," Jack laughed. "Somebody has to call it like it is," he pointed out.

Martha jumped up in a huff. "I am not a princess you fucking prick," she yelled at him.

"Could have fooled me," Jack laughed as he stood up and faced her. "Oh, I stepped on a piece of glass. I'm not wearing any clothes. Do this; do that. I'm so much better than you," he mimicked her.

"I never said I was better than you," Martha glared at him.

"You may aswell have," Jack scoffed as he moved closer to her.

"You are such a jerk," Martha sneered as she stepped backwards; only to find herself tripping backwards.

As she fell, she grabbed hold of Jack's shirt and ended up pulling him down with her; him landing right on top of her.

"Well, well, isn't this a compromising position?" Jack smiled down at her. He knew exactly how to get her riled up.

"It probably would be if one of us was actually enjoying it," Martha sniggered.

"Believe me Princess; I'm enjoying it," Jack smirked as he softly ran his hand down one of her legs. Underneath him, Jack felt Martha shiver. "And from the feel of it, you do too," he pointed out.

"I do not," Martha gave Jack a quick shove, and he fell away from her body. "I'm going back to the car. Don't take too long composing yourself," she teased as she walked off.

"You're not that hot," Jack called out after her.

"Your little friend seems to disagree," Martha laughed as she pointed at his groin before jumping into the car.

Jack let his head fall back onto the grass with a loud sigh. That girl was going to be the death of him; he just knew it.

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Alf was growing more frustrated by the minute. He still hadn't heard from Jack and no one had yet to find him. Jack was supposed to be there; not frolicking around the country side.

"So, when are we going to head over the Corey and Ash's?" Charlie said to Alf. "Sooner rather than later I hope," he added.

"Just give it a few more hours," Alf answered. "Wait and see if we here from Jack," he said.

"We're wasting time," Bruiser growled. "They could have Martha there, and we're giving them time to take her away," he pointed out in anger.

Alf was about to tell him to calm down, when Robbie walked into the room. "Any word on Jack?" Alf asked him.

"No," Robbie shook his head. "It's like he's disappeared off the face of the earth," he exclaimed.

Alf slammed his fist down on his desk. "I'm telling you now; if that boy is out chasing skirt somewhere, I'll ring his neck," he growled.

"I'm sure he's just caught up somewhere," Tony stuck up for his son.

"I just want him here. I need him to find Martha," Alf seemed to be getting upset.

"We can find Martha without him," Macca was growing impatient. "Why don't we just go over there and get this over with," he said.

"No," Alf snapped. "I will not risk my granddaughter's life. We can not just go over there with guns a blazing; it's too risky," he exclaimed.

Charlie nodded his head in acceptance. "We'll give Jack a couple more hours. If he's not back by then; we are going with out him," he said.

"I'd like to be alone now if you don't mind," Alf then said to the roomful of people.

They all shuffled out and left Alf by himself. He opened up his drawer and took out a small photo frame. Inside was a picture of Roo and Martha. They were the two most important women in his life. Roo was now gone because he couldn't protect her. Hell would freeze over before anyone took Martha away from him.

He would do anything to get her back. And if he had to have people killed to do so; then so be it.

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Corey slid out of the bed and pulled his pants on. He quickly done up the zipper and done up his belt buckle. He turned around and looked back to the bed where a naked Sam was lying.

Sam lifted her arms and stretched them above her head; letting out a loud moan. "Just let me know when you need some more assistance. I'm happy to comply," she smirked at him.

"Don't worry; I'll definitely need you later on," Corey laughed. "And not just for my pleasure," he added.

"I'll do anything you ask of me, you should know that," Sam told him.

"That's my girl," Corey winked at her. "Now, if you'll excuse me; I need to check on my little friend down in my office," he said as he exited the room.

Corey slowly made his way down to the second level; where his office was placed. He'd been in there no more than a minute when Ash came storming into the room; dragging Amanda in by the beck of her neck.

"She came bearing gifts," Ash told Corey as he threw a gun onto Corey's desk.

Corey looked over at his sister and smiled. He could only guess that she got her present. Corey calmly walked over to her and gently traced a finger down the side of her face.

"Amanda," Corey smirked. She wasted no time in raising her hand and slapping his face. "Leave her with me Ash," Corey grinned.

Ash let go of Amanda's neck and quickly left the room; closing the door behind him. Once they were alone, Corey moved away from Amanda; only to reveal the naked and blood soaked body of Josh West.

Amanda instantly raised her hands to her mouth to stop herself from screaming. She was going to throw up.

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	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

Amanda held her hand over her mouth; trying to control the urge to vomit. Her brother truly was a sick freak. The bloodied man sitting in front of her was enough to tell her that.

"You need to stop this Corey," Amanda cried. "What you're doing; it's sick and inhuman. How could you do this to another person?" she yelled as she pointed at Josh.

Corey grinned. "Oh come on, you didn't come here to scold me Mandy. You came here for an entirely different reason," he eyed the gun that Ash had thrown on his desk; the gun that his sister had brought with him. He knew that she had come to kill him.

"How could you?" Amanda sobbed. "He was everything to be me. You took him from me. You killed him," the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Ah Peter. You know very well why he is gone," Corey paced back and forth between his desk and his sister. "Don't think his death only lies on the hands of me. You are just as much responsible," he said in a calm voice.

Amanda shook her head in disbelief. "It wasn't just Peter you killed. You killed me too Corey," she exclaimed. "The second you killed him; you killed me too," Amanda screamed at him.

Corey laughed loudly. "Oh, there she is; our drama queen Mandy," he smirked at her. But then his face turned cold. "I told you that there would be no fucking marriage between the two of you. I told you to get rid of him, but no; what do you do? You got fucking engaged to him. You brought his death upon yourself; not me, you fucking bitch," he sneered at her.

Corey watched as Amanda's eyes dried almost instantly. He noticed a coldness take over her features as she glanced at the gun on his desk.

"What is it that you want Mandy? Payback? Retribution for his death?" Corey asked as he picked up the gun and turned the barrel onto himself; handing it over to his sister. "Take it Mandy. Come on, shoot me," he grabbed her hand and forced the gun into her grasp.

Amanda shook her head; trying to get rid of all the thoughts that were traveling around inside her mind. She tried to gather the strength, so that she could do what he was telling her too. Could she kill her own brother? Could she let herself become a cold hearted killer like him?

"Pull the fucking trigger Mandy. Come on do it," Corey roared at her. "What, don't you have the nerve?" he grabbed Amanda's hand and pushed the barrel of the gun into his stomach.

Once again; Amanda let the tears start to fall. She closed her eyes and lowered her arm; dropping the gun to the floor. Crying; she gave way to the fact that she wasn't him. She could never be a killer; not even for him.

"That's what I thought; just like our mother," Corey smiled. "She couldn't do it either," he sneered.

"What?" Amanda sobbed as she looked at him; stunned.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? I killed her too," Corey exclaimed. "Yeah; I needed to get her out of the way. She was stopping me from taking charge and becoming head of the family, so she had to go. I gave her the chance to do me in first, but she couldn't pull the trigger either," he explained.

Amanda looked at her brother in disgust. "Mummy?" she wept. "You killed her?" she in a soft voice.

Corey ignored her cries and continued with what he was saying. "And here you are Mandy; unable to do it either," he smiled. "I take your fiancé's life and you still can't pull the fucking trigger. You're a waste of air," he trailed off.

And with that he pulled another gun out from his holster and pointed it at Amanda. He pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced upwards through her ribcage; popping a lung. Amanda stared straight into his eyes as the pain ripped through her body and a sudden death approached her. The only comforting thought she had as darkness Swept over her was the thought that she would now be with Peter forever.

Corey held her head as she slumped to the ground. He noticed that the life left her eyes even before she hit the ground. Corey stood up straight and slid his gun back into his holster. He then turned around and glanced at Josh. He was now struggling to breathe.

Corey groaned and removed his gun once again. Pulling at Josh's hair; he made Josh face him. "You're breathing too loud," he aimed the gun at the top of Josh's head and pointed it downwards.

Josh's eyes became large as he knew that death was about to take him. He knew that it was now his time. With a slight shrug, Corey pulled the trigger; sending one single bullet into Josh's brain. Corey turned his head away as blood spattered up towards him.

Looking down at his now blood spattered shirt; he swore. "Fuck it," he kicked the chair that Josh was sitting in and Josh fell to the floor in a heap. "Man, you can't even die without pissing me off," he said as he walked from the room.

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Alf calmly walked into the room full with his and his granddaughters men. They all turned quiet when they noticed him approach.

"Is it time?" Charlie asked.

Alf nodded. "I can't wait for Jack any longer," he announced. "I don't want you rushing in there without preparing first. Stake out the place for a bit. Watch out for who comes and who goes. Once you've got it all sorted; then make your move," he explained.

"I'm taking my brothers, Kim and a couple of our other men, so who would you like me to take?" Charlie then asked Alf.

"Take Robbie and Ric with you. And I've already got two other men waiting out in the car; take them with you aswell," Alf ordered. "Keep me up to date on everything," he said as the men started to leave the room.

"I will," Charlie nodded. "I'll call as soon as something comes up," he promised.

When Charlie reached the door, Alf called to him one last time. "Do whatever it takes," he exclaimed.

"You have my word," and with that, Charlie left; leaving the old man on his own once again.

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Corey whistled as he skipped down the stairs towards his office. He had a towel in his hand; using it to dry his hair. He walked into his office and made his way over to his desk; stepping over his sisters body to get there.

"What happened in here?" a voice came from the door.

Corey turned around and smiled at Ash. "Mandy won't be a problem anymore. It's just you and me from now on," he told Ash.

"You killed your sister?" Ash laughed.

"She was bugging me," Corey exclaimed with a shrug.

Ash leant down and grasped Amanda's face in his fingers. "Beautiful even in death," he stated. He then stood up and looked over at Josh. "I see you put that moron out of his misery too. I really wish you had of left something for me," he grinned.

"Your time will come; don't worry," Corey pulled on his jacket. "And believe me; it will be sweet," he laughed. 

"The car's waiting out the front," Ash then told Corey.

Corey nodded. "Yeah, I think it's time we find our favorite couple".

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	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

"It's going to be dark soon; we can't just sit out here waiting all night," Bruiser groaned.

"Alf wants us to stake out the place for a while; so that's what we are doing," Charlie snapped at his brother.

"Old man Stewart isn't our boss Charlie," Bruiser scoffed. "We do our own thing; not what he says," he added.

"No, he isn't, but Martha is," Charlie glared at him. "And Alf is her grandfather. Martha would want us to do whatever Alf tells us to do. So stop sooking and do what you're told," he ordered.

"Whatever," Bruiser scowled and turned away from his older brother. "I just want to get Martha back," he pointed out.

"We all do," Charlie exclaimed. "Now having said that; we're going in," he said before waltzing up the driveway towards Corey's mansion.

"What do we do?" Macca asked as he trailed behind his brother; the others close behind him.

Charlie turned around and faced the men. "Kill each and every person that comes and goes from that place. And don't stop until Martha is handed over," anger was coming off Charlie in waves. Alf had ordered the destruction of the Henderson and Nadar family and Charlie was going to live up to his promise. He wasn't going to go down without a fight.

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Martha sat by herself at the bar; sipping on a glass of scotch. She loved the calmness it brought to her senses. She'd been through so much in the last 48 hours and she was so tense. It was great to finally feel loose.

Martha had pretty much ordered Jack to pull over at the first available bar. And even though this one was a shit hole; she didn't care. It may have been run down and full of old drunken men, but it had alcohol; and that was all that mattered.

"Another, please," Martha said to the bar tender as she pushed her glass towards him.

The old man complied and filled her glass with the liquid. "Have you been in the wars today, love?" he asked Martha as he pushed the glass back towards her.

Martha raised her hand to her bruised face and ran her fingers gently over the dried wound. "You could say that," she tried to smile. "One piece of advice; don't trust anyone," she said to him.

"Don't worry; I found out that a long time ago," the old man chuckled.

Martha smiled at him. She liked him. He reminded her a little of her grandfather; very friendly and quite caring. Alf's face appeared in her mind. How she wished that she could see him; have him hold her in his protective arms like he had when she was only a little girl. She missed those days. Things had changed so much.

The old man walked away to serve another customer, so Martha swiveled in her chair; looking around for Jack. She scoffed out loud when she spotted him; surrounded by some tarty women. Jack looked up at her and held her gaze; while smirking at her. Martha shook her head in disgust and turned back to the bar. She lifted her glass to her lips and downed the last of drink.

As she placed her glass back on the bar; she spotted a man sitting by himself; over in the darkened corner of the room. She couldn't see his face clearly, but there was some oddly familiar about him. She watched as he stood up from his spot and made his way towards the bar. Martha quickly lowered her head and pretended to be interested with the ice in her glass. She tensed up as he sat down next to her.

She could feel his eyes on her and he was beginning to make her skin crawl. Martha glanced up quickly and gave a soft smile; showing that she wasn't frightened. She only just held in the gasp that threatened to spill from her lips. She knew who he was.

Johnny Cooper.

Her father had shown her pictures of almost all of Corey and Ash's men. And there was no mistake; Johnny Cooper was one of their men. There was no doubt in her mind that he was there to collect her; along with Jack.

"I'm Joe," Johnny said to her.

Martha felt relief wash over her. It seemed that he wasn't aware of her knowledge of him. She could play this game too!!

"Mac," she smiled and reached out to shake his hand.

Johnny grinned and took her hand in his. Martha tried not to flinch. The thought of his hands on her made her sick to the stomach.

"What's a pretty lady like you doing here all on her lonesome?" Johnny asked her.

"Just having a drink," Martha answered him. "But, I'm not here alone; I'm here with my husband," she added.

Johnny laughed. "I don't see a ring on your finger," he said.

Martha shrugged. "I lost it," she exclaimed.

"Right," Johnny nodded. "So, where is this husband of yours?" he questioned her.

Martha looked in Jack's direction. Of course he was absolutely oblivious to the fact that Martha was sitting next to one of their enemies. He was too busy with those women still. She would remind herself later to punch him in the face.

Johnny laughed again. "You have no problem with him being over there with other girls?" he remarked.

"I like to share my things," Martha stated. "Besides, I know he'll come home to me and our bed each night. I'm not worried," she smiled.

"It's good to see a woman with confidence," Johnny smirked.

"That's me; Miss Confidence," Martha said as she stood up.

"Don't you mean Mrs.?" Johnny pointed out.

"Whatever," Martha fobbed him off. "Excuse me; I need to have a word with my husband," she emphasized.

Martha tried not hurry, but she couldn't help herself. She walked briskly across the room towards Jack; quickly giving the women a shove to the side. "Get up," Martha grabbed a hold of Jack's arm and pulled him to his feet; wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his neck.

"If you wanted to touch me; all you had to do was ask," Jack laughed in her hair.

"Just play along," Martha hissed at him. "We have to go; Johnny Cooper is here," she told him.

"What?" Jack stiffened and tried to pull away so he could get a glimpse of Johnny.

"Don't," Martha pulled him back into the embrace. "He's unaware that I know who he is. So let's just pretend to be the married couple that I told him we were; and get out of here," she whispered in his ear.

Jack nodded in understanding and pulled away; turning to look at the women he had just been sitting with. "Sorry ladies, but my wife needs to be attended to; if you know what I mean," he winked.

"Just stay for another drink," a red head pouted.

"Back of bitch; he's mine," Martha snapped at her. "Let's go baby," she said through clenched teeth as she grabbed Jack's hand and led him away.

When they got to the door, Martha turned around for one last glance, but was shocked when she noticed Johnny was no longer at the bar.

"He's gone," Martha cried as Jack pulled her outside. It had started to rain and it was getting pretty heavy. Jack and Martha were drenched within seconds.

"Let's just go," Jack could barely be heard over the sound of the rain. He grabbed a hold of Martha's hand and started to drag her towards the car.

As they neared closer, they could make out the outline of a figure standing by their car. "Fuck," Jack yelled as he came to a stop; Martha crashing into his back. "Run," he pushed at Martha and they both took off in the other direction.

"There is no use in running; I will find you," Johnny sneered as he took off after them.

"Don't let go of my hand," Jack said to Martha as they ran. "Stay close," he exclaimed as they ran into the trees.

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Charlie led the men around to the back of the house; their weapons ready in their hands. Charlie was surprised but happy to find a posse of Corey's men standing and talking in a huddle.

"Hello there," Charlie called out as he raised his gun in the air.

The group of men turned in a flash; reaching for their own weapons. But it was too late for them. Charlie and his men had them surrounded.

"Put your guns on the ground," Charlie yelled at them. "If you don't; we'll shot each and every one of you," he warned.

"Do as he says," Jesse McGregor emerged from the group; throwing his gun to the ground.

"Um, Charlie," Robbie interrupted.

"What is it Hunter?" Charlie asked, but kept his eyes trained on Jesse.

"That's Jack's car there by the garage," Robbie answered him.

"I'm sorry," Charlie scoffed; not believing what he was hearing. "What are you saying?" he questioned.

"I think Jack's been here," Robbie exclaimed.

"Great," Charlie huffed. "He's probably dead too. Just what we need," he groaned.

"Actually…," Jesse tried to speak but Charlie cut him off.

"Seen Martha, Jesse?" he asked.

"She's with Holden somewhere," Jesse told him.

"Do you know where that might be?" Charlie said sarcastically.

"No," Jesse stuttered.

Charlie smiled. "Too bad for you then," he cocked his gun.

Jesse closed his eyes; knowing what was coming next.

"Bye Jesse," and with that Charlie pulled the trigger; firing a single shot into the temple, killing Jesse instantly.

At the same time, the rest of Charlie's group started to fire their weapons. Within moments, the rest of Corey's men were dead.

"Get inside and look around for Martha," Charlie ordered. "And Jack. Looks like that idiot has already got himself mixed up in this shit" he groaned out loud.

"I'll call my grandfather and inform him that Martha might be with Jack somewhere," Ric pulled a phone from his pocket and walked away for a bit of privacy.

"I just hope that he's protecting Martha with his life," Charlie sighed.

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	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Martha's breath was coming out in sharp gasps. She didn't think she'd ever run so fast in her life. Of course that may have been due to the fact that Jack was practically hauling her through the muddy bush.

It was pitch black dark and she could barely see a thing in front of her. The rain was pelting down hard; making the ground muddy and slippery. If it wasn't for Jack, Martha would be laying face down in the dirt.

As Jack tugged on her hand; urging her to continue, Martha twisted her head and squinted in the darkness; looking for a shadow or some type of movement from Johnny.

"I can't see him," Martha cried out to Jack. She pulled on his arm; wanting him to slow down. "I need to stop," she gasped.

Jack stopped immediately and wrapped his arms around Martha's waist and dragged her behind a bush. He covered her mouth with his hand; telling her to be quiet. They squatted down behind the bush; hiding from sight.

"Don't make a sound," Jack whispered as he removed his hand from her mouth.

"What are we going to do?" Martha hissed at him.

"Not so loud," Jack scolded her as he brushed her wet hair away from her face. Jack noticed her shivering and her teeth chattering. "You cold?" he asked her.

Martha nodded. "It's pissing down with rain and we're in it," she was shaking. "We're gonna catch pneumonia and we're gonna die," she panicked.

Jack cupped her face and tried to calm her. "We're gonna be fine. We've just gotta get back to the car," he told her.

Ignoring his soothing words, Martha continued with her rant. "I fucking hate this," she spat out. "All I ever wanted was the perfect life, with perfect husband and perfect children. But nooooo, here I am; running for my fucking life," she growled.

"Shut up," Jack shook her a little. "Get up, we're going," he grabbed her hand and reefed her onto her feet.

"Going where?" Martha threw her arms in the air.

"Just don't let go," Jack snapped at her as he grabbed her hand and started to drag her back in the direction that they had just came.

"I can't help but think we should be running in the other direction," Martha yelled out sarcastically.

"You can stay here by yourself if you like," Jack turned and glared at her.

Martha winced a little and shook her head. "I'm good," she exclaimed.

"Let's go then," Jack said as they started to make their way back to the car.

They'd only been running for about a minute when they crashed straight into another wet body. They both fell backwards; landing in the mud.

"Oh god," Martha cried as she looked up into the face of Johnny Cooper.

Johnny laughed down at them. "I told you that I would get you," he exclaimed.

"Whatever Corey and Ash are paying you; I'll double it. Even triple it if you want," Martha tried to bargain with him.

Johnny shook his head. "I don't betray family," he smirked. "Now get up," he leant down and scruffed Martha by the arm.

"Get your hands off her," Jack yelled as he lunged at Johnny; knocking him to the ground. "Run Martha. Get out of here," he called out as he struggled on the ground with Johnny.

"I'm not leaving you here," Martha cried as she tried to help Jack.

"Go," Jack screamed at her.

"No," Martha screamed back as she lifted her foot and slammed it into the side of Johnny's face.

Jack pulled himself away from Johnny as he felt his body go limp above him. He let out a deep breath as Martha helped him to his feet.

"Steel capped boots can be a girls best friend, you know?" Martha laughed a little.

"You fucking bitch," Johnny groaned as he tried to pull himself up.

"Let's go," Jack grabbed Martha's hand and they took off towards the car.

Martha pulled the car keys from out of her pocket and unlocked the car. "I'm still driving," she panted; trying to catch her breath.

"Whatever," Jack exclaimed as he jumped in beside her. "Let's just get out of here," he urged.

Martha nodded and started the car. "Good idea," she then pointed out the window. Standing about fifty meters from the car was Johnny. Martha revved the engine as she watched Johnny pull a gun from his Jacket. She wasted no time in accelerating.

"What are you doing?" Jack yelled at her as he grabbed hold of the dash.

"He is really starting to piss me off," Martha said through clenched teeth as she drove the car straight towards Johnny.

The impact of his body hitting the windscreen was pretty strong and a large crack started to appear in the glass. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Martha and Jack watched Johnny's body flying through the air. He hit the ground with a loud thud.

"That'll teach him," Martha sniggered. "You think he's dead?" she pondered.

"It's very possible," Jack was stunned. He looked at Martha; a small smile appearing on his face. "How many people have you killed?" he was curious.

Martha shrugged. "Well, there was Zoë, and now Johnny. So, two; just the two," she answered with a nod.

Jack laughed. "You're a natural," he remarked.

"I try," Martha winked at him.

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"We've searched the place high and low. There's nobody here," Kim said as he walked into the foyer of Corey's mansion. "It's deserted," he exclaimed.

Charlie let out a loud groan. He had really thought that they were going to get Martha back. "They must have only just left before we got here," he concluded.

"What next?" Macca wanted to know.

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know," he was honest. "We haven't come any closer to finding out where Martha might be. All we know is that Jack might be with her. We don't know if they're with Corey now or if they're with someone else. They could be dead for all we know," he sighed.

"But if they are alive, then at least Martha has Jack with her," Robbie pointed out. "He'll protect her with his life. That I know," he added.

"Yeah, I guess," Charlie sighed.

"Charlie," a voice from down the hall called out.

Charlie moved away from the group and looked down the hall; spotting Bruiser. "What is it?" he asked.

"You'd better come see this," Bruiser's voice was low.

Charlie was curious as to what Bruiser wanted him to see. He just hoped that it wasn't Martha's dead body.

"Sorry mate," Bruiser seemed sympathetic.

"Why? What is…..," Charlie's voice trailed off.

He couldn't believe his eyes. There, lying in a puddle of her own blood was Amanda Vale. He raised his palm to his mouth; holding the bile that threatened to spill from his lips.

"Leave me," Charlie ordered.

Bruiser nodded in understanding and left the room; closing the door behind him. Charlie still stood in the same spot; taking in his surroundings. By now he'd noticed that Amanda's body wasn't alone. He recognized the person as the man from the video tape. It was the man who had abducted Martha. Josh West.

Charlie took in Josh's appearance. It was clear that he had been tortured. He wondered why. Josh had done his job correctly. He had gotten Martha. But now it seemed as though he had been punished. Obviously some way along the line, he had stuffed up.

But right now, Charlie didn't care about Josh West. He held no sympathy or remorse for the man. He took Martha. Charlie believed that he deserved everything he got. If only he had gotten to him first. He would have made him pay for his sins. And he would have paid for them dearly.

Charlie leant down next to Amanda's cold body. Her eyes were still open; glazed over, but still so blue. He reached a hand across her face and brushed her eyes closed; it was the least he could do.

"Oh Amanda, what did you ever do to deserve this," he said in a soft voice. "There was so much good in you, but you were just burdened with the wrong family. You should have gotten out and left with Peter when you had the chance. I would have helped you," he stroked her cheek.

Even in death she still looked like an angel. Sleeping beauty he used to call her. She'd be his Sleeping beauty forever now.

Charlie stood up and walked back towards the door. He turned around and took one last glance at the now peaceful and free Amanda Vale. He hoped that wherever she was now; she was happy. She deserved it.

"I had fun Amanda," Charlie exclaimed. "It was good while it lasted," he whispered his final words to her before exiting the room.

He calmly walked down the hall and back out into the foyer where the other men were waiting.

"Let's go……"

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	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

"Where are we going?" Martha said as she squinted into the darkness ahead of her. The rain was still really heavy and she could barely see a thing in front of her. The road was slippery; she took her time driving. They didn't need to be in another car accident. "I don't want drive in this weather. Knowing my recent luck; I'll skid us off the road and we'll both be road kill," she whined.

Jack looked up at Martha and frowned. "Seriously, do you ever stop whining?" he asked in a slow tone. "We've only been driving for five minutes; and already you're complaining," he added.

Martha growled and quickly slammed her foot on the break; letting the car skid about fifty meters.

"Bloody hell," Jack braced himself as the car came to a halt. He snapped his gaze onto Martha and went to yell at her.

"Shut it," Martha shot out before he got the chance to say anything. "All I asked was for you to tell me were to go. I didn't ask for a fucking kidney, so stop being a jerk. Now, you want to know what my problem is; I'm scared Jack. I'm scared for me. I'm scared for you, and for my family and friends. They could be dead and I don't know what to do anymore," she ranted as she became more and more upset.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Jack soothed as he reached across and pulled her into a warm embrace. Martha laid her head against his shirt covered chest and started to sob. "I'm just a little worked up at the moment. I honestly don't know what to do either. Without sounding like a wuss; I'm scared too. All I care about is protecting you, and I'm scared that I'm going to fail," he explained.

Martha snorted a little. "Protect me? So far; I'm the one who's done all the protecting. I've saved your butt twice, in case you'd forgotten," she laughed.

"Fine, I owe you," Jack laughed with her.

Martha felt so safe in Jack's arms. She had always felt safe with him; even when they were children. He had always stuck up for her at the playgrounds at school, and had always beaten up the bullies who had picked on her. She'd missed him terribly when her parents had taken her away. She'd hated them for it. Jack had been her best friend. She had loved him and had thought that they would be best friends forever. But Corey's father had ripped it all away. He and his family had moved into town and destroyed all the love and admiration that had been there between her family and Jack's family.

But now she had Jack back. Things could go back to the way they were; if only they weren't running for their lives. Deep down Martha knew things were different know. She and Jack weren't thirteen year old kids anymore. They were adults; adults with real feelings. They had needs and wants that were different than the ones they had had when they thirteen. Martha saw Jack in an entirely different light now. Even though he was a total perverted pig; she could see herself with him. He was someone who she could see herself spending her life with. Well, until now that is; the moment when he decided to open that perverted mouth of his.

"Hey princess; how about a hot shower?" Jack's voice was muffled in Martha's hair.

"Huh?" Martha gasped as she pushed herself away from him and shoved him hard in the chest. "Why do you have to be such a sleaze?" she groaned.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Jack smirked at her. "I was being serious about the shower. I don't know if you'd noticed but we were rolling around in the mud with our good friend Johnny Cooper back there. I'm cold, wet, dirty and not to mention hungry," he said.

Martha rolled her eyes. "I know what you meant," she lied.

"So, a hot shower?" Jack emphasized.

"What are you talking about?" Martha huffed.

Jack laughed before pointing out the window. Martha looked ahead and spotted a bright neon sign; reading Motel.

Martha started to grin. "That has got to be the sexiest thing you've said yet," she exclaimed. "I'm saying yes. That is a total yes to a hot shower," she started to jump around excitedly in her seat.

"Great," Jack clapped his hands together. "Now let's dump the car," he suggested.

"Um, why?" Martha was a little confused. "Don't we need it?" she pointed out.

"Corey's men will probably be looking for that car. If they are in the area, they'll see that car parked out the front and then we're dead meat," Jack explained.

"Okay," Martha nodded in understanding. "Just point me in the right direction," she told him.

"That way," Jack pointed into the trees. "And hurry it up. I need to lie down and take an aspirin. My fucking head hurts," he moaned as he rubbed his head.

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Martha rubbed her hands together gleefully as she watched Jack jiggle the key in the lock of their motel room. "Come on," she patted his back. "I'm freezing my butt off".

"Walla Princess, your master suite awaits," Jack teased as he pushed open the door and slapped her rear as she walked in.

"There are so many things I can say to you right now Holden; about your lame ass excuse of being gentlemanly, but I won't. I'd rather take a hot shower," Martha smirked at him. "I'm going first by the way," she then added quickly as she looked around the room. "It isn't the Hilton, but it'll do," she then said as she dumped her bag on the bed. She then grabbed a white bathrobe from the end of the bed and walked into the bathroom.

"So Princess, how about you share that hot shower with an irresistible man?" Jack grinned to himself. That'll piss her off, he thought to himself.

Martha pulled off her singlet and then her jeans before walking out of the bathroom; wearing only her black bra and underwear. "Irresistible, where?" she teased as she stood in the doorway.

Noting the sudden lose in words by Jack, Martha grinned. She slowly reached her hands behind her back and unclipped her bra. She slyly pulled it off and threw it across the room. It landed on the bed next to Jack. She smirked at him once more before turning around and walking back into the bathroom.

Jack's eyes almost popped out of his head as Martha stood in front of him; naked from the waist up. He could only guess that the look on his face was priceless. He had to give his head a good shake, just to remove himself from the trance he was in.

**  
**Quickly Jack stood up and as soon as he reached to bathroom door, Martha gave him an evil grin before slamming the door in his face.

"You dirty little tease," Jack knocked on the door politely.

"I heard that," Martha called to him through the door.

"I can wash you," Jack said in a sing song voice.

"How about you go eat dirt," Martha exclaimed as she held her hand over her mouth as she tried to control her laughs.

Jack chuckled to himself. She was fun. But he also knew that it wouldn't be a good idea if he slept with her. One night with her would probably destroy the desire for any other woman that he would have in his bed.

He let out a loud sigh when he heard Martha turn the shower on. Turning around, he walked back over to the bed. Cracking his neck and his back, he sat down. "Tonight is going to be a long night," he groaned.****

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	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

Alf let out a loud sigh as he walked into his private quarters and shut the door behind him. Today had been a long, tiring and very stressful day, and it didn't look like it was going to get any better.

Martha was still missing and he had no idea if she was dead or alive. The only thing that kept him at ease was the thought that Jack was with her and hopefully keeping her out of harms way. Alf knew that Jack would protect Martha with his life. His fingers were crossed; hoping that they would both come home safe. If anything happened to either of them; there would be hell to pay.

Alf walked over to his bed and picked up his long black velvet robe. He slid his arms in; wrapping it tightly around his body. He knotted the tie and then sat down on his bed. He grabbed his warm slippers and slid his feet into them before standing up and walking across the room towards the dresser.

He picked up a glass bottle and poured some brandy into a round glass. He raised the glass to his lips and took a sip; rolling the liquid around in his mouth and taking in the taste. It helped him sleep; the Brandy. A glass every night before he went to bed always done the trick.

"Taste good," a voice from a darkened corner of the room startled him.

Alf spun around; dropping the brandy glass on the carpet in the process. He took a step back when Ashton Nadar stepped into the light.

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Jack walked back to the motel room. He'd stepped outside for a few minutes while Martha took her shower; in hopes of finding some vending machines. He was starving.

He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He found Martha perched up on the bed; wrapped up in the fluffy white robe. She had the TV remote in her hand; flicking threw the channels, trying to find something decent to watch.

"Here," Jack threw a packet of M&M's at Martha. "There wasn't really much to choose from," he added as he placed a bottle of water on the bed next to her.

Martha quickly snatched up the chocolates. "Peanut M my favorite," she grinned. "You remembered?" she smiled up at him sweetly.

"Of course I remembered," Jack smiled back at her. "You practically beat it into me when we were ten, remember?" he then started to smirk.

"I never," Martha pouted.

"Yeah, you did," Jack laughed. "The last time I gave you original M&M's, you tried to kick me in the balls," he reminded her.

"Oh, poor baby," Martha teased as she threw an M&M at Jack's head. She fell back onto the bed laughing when it hit and rebounded against his fore-head.

"I'm going to take a shower. I hope you left me some hot water," Jack ignored her and made his way to the bathroom.

Martha sniggered. "I thought after the little display before you'd probably be in need of a cold one," she wiggled her eye-brows at him.

Jack smirked at her. "You have a great rack, but not great enough to get me hot," he winked at her.

"You keep telling yourself that," Martha winked in return.

Jack laughed at her and walked off. He closed the bathroom door behind him and turned on the shower. While under the hot stream of water, Jack's thoughts went back to Martha. She was fun and he couldn't help but think of her as the female equivalent of himself. She could throw it back just as fast as he could give it.

He wanted her; there was no doubt about it.

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"How did you get in here?" Alf sneered at Ash.

Ash laughed at him. "Everybody is so busy worrying about your precious Martha. You let your guard down old man, and I easily slipped in. You should have made sure that you had someone watching your back," he was being smart.

"Leave now," Alf ordered.

"Not until I finish what I came here to do," Ash shook his head at Alf's demands.

"And what's that?" Alf held his head high. He wasn't afraid of this boy.

"To kill you of course," Ash snorted. "Why else would I have come here?" he sniggered.

"You'd have to be stupid if you think that I'd let an ignorant little boy come into my home and kill me," Alf took his turn to laugh as he reached out and went to pick up his gun.

"Don't even think about it," Ash quickly pulled his own gun from his jacket and pointed it at Alf. "I'm calling the shots now," he snapped.

"Actually that would be me," a hard voice sounded.

Ash flinched when he felt a cold metal pressed into the back of his head. He immediately dropped his gun to the ground. He slowly turned and came face to face with Tony Holden.

"Big mistake coming here Ashton," Tony cocked his gun. "Big Mistake. Big. Huge," he added.

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	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Alf took a long puff of his cigar as he sat down in his chair. He sucked down the strong smoke before blowing it back out in small rings. He hadn't had a smoke in weeks, but after the events over the last few days; he knew he couldn't hold out for any longer.

Alf stood up from his chair when he heard a knock on his door. "Enter," he called out. A moment later Tony walked in; closing the door behind him. "Any problems with the Ash situation?" Alf asked as he sat back down.

"No," Tony answered with the shake of the head. "Macca and Robbie are sorting the rest out," he added.

"Good," Alf nodded. "Things should be a little easier with him out of the way. Now we just have to concentrate on Corey and finding out where the bloody hell he is," he sighed.

"I just hope that Jack and Martha have found a safe place to hide. No doubt Corey will have the resources to find them if they are out in the open," Tony exclaimed.

"I'm sure he has," Alf muttered. He couldn't wait to get his hands on that boy so that he could ring his neck.

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"Another dead end," Corey roared as he got into his car and slammed the door behind him.

"We've only tried a few motels," Sam reminded him.

"Yes, I know that," Corey sneered at her.

Sam let out a sigh. "Let's just stop for a bit and get some sleep or something. It's late," she said.

"I'll sleep when those two are dead," Corey snapped at her as he reached out and grabbed her face. "Now drive," he squeezed her cheeks until she slapped his hands away.

"I want them dead just as much as you do," Sam told him. "Don't you think that I know how much power we'll have once they're all dead? I'm looking forward to it," she smiled gleefully.

"Yes, we'll just remember that it was me who got you this far," Corey pointed out.

"I remember," Sam smirked as she leant over and kissed him.

"That's my girl," Corey nipped at Sam's lips before pulling away. "Now drive," he muttered as he looked out his window.

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"If I keep eating these I'm going to look like the side of a house," Martha moaned as she popped another M&M into her mouth.

"Don't be stupid," Jack laughed as he sat in a chair. "You look hot," he added with a wink.

"Thanks," Martha smiled proudly. "Here, have some," she threw the almost empty packet at Jack.

"Wow, you left me some crumbs. That's sweet and very thoughtful of you," Jack said in a sarcastic tone of voice.

Martha just shrugged and made herself even more comfortable on the bed. She was still propped up in between some pillows and had the remote firmly grasped in her hand. "Why is it that these seedy motels only have porn showing?" she groaned as she flicked through more channels.

"Porn?" Jack looked up excitedly.

"Eww," Martha looked at him disgusted as she switched off the TV. "Are you serious? You actually watch this crap?" she asked.

"Name a guy who doesn't," Jack shrugged.

"Disgusting," Martha exclaimed.

The room fell silent after that; until Martha noticed Jack wincing every time he touched his face. "What's wrong?" she jumped up and walked across to him. She grabbed his chin and turned his face to look at her. "Johnny got you good, didn't he?" she chuckled as she brushed away a droplet of blood.

"Add that to the fucking bruises and wounds from the car crash," Jack groaned.

Martha quickly leant over and plucked a tissue from its box, before moving back towards Jack. She sat down on his knee and started to dab at the tiny cut.

"If all you really wanted to do was get on top of me Macklin; all you had to do was ask," Jack snickered. It's time to go back to the teasing, he thought to himself as he suddenly started to feel vulnerable; due the tender affection she was paying towards him and his wounds. 

Martha rolled her eyes. "Why do you keep doing that?" she asked him.

"Doing what?" Jack threw back at her.

Martha sighed. "Turn everything into some sort of sexual innuendo," she pointed out to him. She knew why it did. He did it to push her away. Men like him didn't need attachments. Emotions were bad regardless of the surroundings. She understood completely. She felt the same sometimes.

Jack opened his mouth to throw another retort in her face but stopped when a shot of pain course through his head. "Ow," he winced.

"Oh you're such a baby," Martha teased as she playfully slapped at his face. She laughed at the pouty look on his face before she started to gently rub at his bruises. She noticed the relaxed look that overtook his earlier pained features. She knew she must have been doing something right.

"Feel better?" Martha grinned.

"Much," Jack nodded. "Keep going," he added as he placed his hands on her waist and held her in place.

Martha tried to stop it but a tingle coursed through her stomach. She didn't want to believe that such a small touch or gesture could do that to her. But it did, and she liked it. And she wanted more.

Jack noticed the dazed look on Martha's face and couldn't help the smile that appeared on his lips. "You okay?" he asked her in a low voice.

"Mhmm," Martha managed a mumble as she kept her eyes trained on his.

Jack looked deeper as he spotted something flash in her eyes. Lust; maybe? He wanted to find out. He raised one of his hands to the side of her face and gently ran his fingers down until they reached her neck. He cupped her neck and played with a few strands of her still wet hair before moving his other hand down to the knot that kept her white robe tied around her. He pulled at it until it came undone.

All this time both he and Martha kept their gazes locked; their eyes never once leaving each other. A part of Martha was yelling at her stop, but the rest of her wanted him to keep going. Surely this was inevitable and would happen sooner or later anyway.

Martha closed her eyes as Jack pushed her hair away from her face. He then placed his hands on her shoulders and started to push away the robe from her body.

"Do you really think we should be doing this?" Martha let out a deep lust filled breath. "I mean now of all times; as we're practically running for our lives," she whispered as Jack placed a tiny kiss on her throat.

"Only if you want to," Jack pulled away and looked her in the eye.

"I want to," Martha gasped.

With that their lips came crashing together. Tongues met with feverish desire. Hands roamed with impatience as Martha grasped at his t-shirt removing it from his body. Jack lunged in for a bit flesh under the ear; nipping and sucking and then licking the sweet taste of her into his mouth. Martha's head fell back in a soft moan as Jack attacked her with fierce kisses; while ripping the white robe completely away from her frame; sending her body weak.

Noticing her lack of strength, Jack stood with his hands sprawled out along Martha's back, not once removing his mouth from her neck as he slid his hands down to her rear. Pulling her upwards, he lifted her into his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist bringing their bodies closer, sending Martha into overdrive with need.

Jack returned his mouth to hers, kissing deeply. Moving her around to the bed Jack crawled onto it with Martha clinging to him as they kissed passionately. Jack reached the top of the bed, lowering the vixen down for him to hover over. Their lips fell apart as he laid her down. Above her, he held himself up on elbows trying to catch his breath as their foreheads touched and their eyes locked. 

"This is so uncharacteristic," Martha whispered against his lips. Jack could do nothing but smile down at her.

Silently Jack begged permission of her; begged to claim her as his. Martha didn't refuse. She needed him as much as he needed her. She needed his strength, his passionate embrace of her body and to have him buried deep inside of her. Reaching up slowly Martha locked soft lips with him. She didn't kiss hard but so gentle that Jack felt parts of his heart let loose. With it came confusion, but also an understanding. He could love her, even if it was only for one night, he could love her.

Letting out a growl under his breath he deepened the kiss. Martha's legs wrapped tightly around Jack's waist, while he used his hand to run downwards, along her toned frame. His hand ran firmly down the back of her thigh to her calf and ankle then sending it back up, making Martha spiral out of control with the feeling in the pit of her stomach.

In turn, Martha ran her hand down his muscular chest until she reached the destination of his jeans. She pulled at the button and quickly unzipped them. Jack sat up a little and quickly removed them, before lowering himself back down to Martha's level. Soon they began to touch each other in places they'd never touched before; sending them into an ecstasy that neither of them had felt with another.

For this one night, they wanted to forget all their troubles; all the troubles that existed on the other side of the door.

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	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Martha let out a tired sigh as she rolled over to face a sleeping Jack. He looked so peaceful and content. Even with the cuts and bruises, Martha still thought he looked like a beautiful man. Without waking him, she reached over and traced a finger down the side of face.

During this quiet time, Martha took a moment to think about things. So many things were entering and flashing through her mind. Things between her and Jack were different now. They'd taken that last step over the friendship boundary and she didn't think there was anyway they could ever go back. She could never look at him as a friend again. Not after the amazing sex they had had all through the night. She didn't believe that sex with a friend could be that hot. So that was enough to tell her that the friend's thing had gone out the window.

She wondered if they would continue this once all the Corey and Ash business was over. Of course, she figured they would have to survive first, because there was no way they could continue anything if they were dead.

Looking up, Martha took note of the time; which appeared on a clock on the wall. It was only five in the morning; still early and still dark outside. It wouldn't be long until the first rays of light started to peak through the cracks of the curtains. It wouldn't be long until they had to start running again.

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Corey was growing impatient. He tapped his foot furiously on the tiles as he glared murderously at the moron sitting at the counter.

"Just tell me if they are here or not," Corey demanded through clenched teeth.

Without taking his eyes of his small television the man started to speak again. "I already told you that there is no one here with that name," he repeated for the second time.

"They might have given you fake names," Corey pointed out. "So just look at these fucking photo's and tell me if these two people are staying in one of your rooms," he snapped.

The man finally cast his eyes away from his television and stood up; looking at Corey. "Look, you can either get a room or you can leave," he yawned, sending his fermenting breath into Corey's face.

"Fair enough," Corey smiled before quickly looking over his shoulder. "Sam, fix this," he ordered. Sam then appeared beside Corey; holding out her silencer and pressing the trigger. One single bullet pierced into the mans chest. He fell behind the counter lifelessly.

"Grab the keys. I don't have all day," Corey walked out of the office as Sam collected all of the door keys into her possession. "I have a good feeling Sam. They're here; I now they are".

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Jack was startled awake when he felt a soft hand caressing his face. He turned his face to the side; knowing full well what to expect. He grinned inwardly to himself when he came face to face with Martha.

"Hi," Martha said softly as she delicately climbed over him; placing her smaller body over his larger one.

Sprawling out along him, Jack's body immediately responded to Martha's touch. She is so fucking sexy, he thought to himself as he watched and felt her body rubbing against his. "Hey," he grinned at her as she leant down and placed her lips against his. "What a way to wake up," he murmured against her mouth.

Jack's hand then went to the side of her face, entangling it into the soft locks of her hair. Twisting the hair around his fingers, he pulled her head down even more; deepening the morning kiss.

Martha could feel Jack's excitement growing. She smiled to herself, and thought that at that moment she could forget about everything else and just crave the feeling of his body and hers happily joined together. With that thought, Martha broke the kiss and lifted her body up; placing each knee on either side of him, so that she straddled his body.

Jack smiled up at her as he watched her lower herself onto him. They both let out a soft moan at the feeling of Jack entering her. Closing their eyes, their bodies began to rock in a slow tandem. Martha threw her head back; mouth opened, releasing her pleasure. She desired him. Every time she felt him inside her, her body was set ablaze; causing her to want to explode almost at first touch.

But suddenly everything came crashing down. A sudden clapping broke through their moans of ecstasy, causing both to pause with a look of utter shock. Looking behind them, their hearts dropped when they spotted Corey standing at the door with Sam; pointing a gun at Martha's head.

Corey laughed at the priceless looks on their faces. "Bravo. Well done," he continued to clap. "I see you're hard at work Jack," he raised his brow and smirked.

Jack was silent. Immediately his brain went into overload. He wondered where his gun was. One should be under the pillow, he thought to himself. He gently started to slide his hands away from Martha's waist and lowered them towards her thighs. But Corey who was watching closely caught sight of his motion.

"Don't even think about it. Unless you'd like too see her brains spill out of her head of course," Corey warned. Martha turned her face back to Jack; a look of fear spread across it.

"Here was me, thinking that Jacky boy was one of the best men in this line of business," Corey laughed evilly. "Who would have thought that he could be over-thrown by his own dick," he continued with the taunting.

"You've become distracted my old friend," Corey grinned as he took a closer look at a naked Martha, who was still straddling Jack. "But oh, I don't blame you. With bang like that, how could you not be, right?" he sleazed.

Martha flinched. She couldn't stand the way how this nutcase was watching her as though she was a piece of meat.

"Okay sweet cheeks; get up," Corey then said as he came up behind her and slapped Martha's ass cheek.**  
**

Martha stared deeply into Jack's face. He tore his gaze away from Corey and looked up into her sad eyes. She could see a fear in his. But the fear she could see, was the fear he had for her at the moment.

She went to say something to him, but was reefed away from him by the hair. She let out a cry as Corey pushed her to the ground. "Maybe you should take a wash. Who knows what you may have picked up from this little tryst," he sneered down at her.

Jack sat up quickly and practically hauled himself off the bed. He went to grab Corey's arm, but was sent flying backwards onto the bed when a sudden bursting pain attacked his shoulder. "Fuck," he screamed as he rolled over; grabbing where the bullet had just pierced through his flesh.

"Jack," Martha screamed out in horror as the blood started to spill from Jack.

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	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

"Jack," Martha cried out again. Her legs started to wobble at the sight of his blood seeping through his fingers. She gathered and attempted to move forward so that she could go to him, but as she tried Corey raised his gun and pressed it hard into the back of her head.

"Uh uh, don't even," Corey warned in a sing-song voice.

Martha stood back, holding her hands over her mouth as the tears spilled from her eyes. She couldn't stand to see this. She couldn't watch them kill Jack. She begged god for her death to come first. Seeing his would be too much for her to bear. She just wanted it all to end now.

"I'm going to assume that you have some clothes," Corey's voice broke through Martha's thoughts.

Martha looked up at him and took note of the way he was surveying her body. She wanted to throw up. He made her sick to the stomach. "They're in the bathroom," she managed to answer his question.

"Well, go and get them," Corey pushed her.

Martha glanced over at Jack before turning and walking into the bathroom. She quickly snatched up her jeans and pulled them on, and then proceeded to do the same with her black singlet. She took a deep breathe before walking back out into the room. She almost cried in relief when she saw the Jack was now trying to sit up. He wasn't dead. Yet.

"You always get your women to do your dirty work?" Jack groaned as he looked up at Corey, and then towards Sam; who was also holding her silencer in her hand.

Corey sniggered. "Oh, you'll like her Jack. And I happen to know for a fact that Sammy always wanted a piece of you," he laughed as he winked at Sam.

Martha tried once again to move towards Jack, but Corey grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. "Say goodbye to your lover," he sneered as he shoved his face in front of her. "It's the last time you'll ever see him," he taunted.

Martha spun around and locked eyes with Jack. Martha couldn't even come up with some simple words to say to him. She didn't know what she was supposed to say to a person who was about to die. She didn't know what sort of goodbye she was supposed to say to the person that she loved. Instead, Jack said them for her.

"I'll see you soon," Jack said to her.

Martha done the only thing she could do. She nodded. What was the point in agreeing with him. She knew that she wouldn't be seeing him anytime soon.

"Well, it has been fun old boy," Corey looked down at Jack. "And I would love to sit here and watch as Samantha kills you, but it seems I've something a little bit more interesting to attend to," he grinned as he took Martha by the waist and led her towards the door.**  
**

Martha turned and took one last look at Jack as Corey led her from the room. She'd keep the vision of his beautiful face in her head, so that when her last moments came, his face would be the last thing on her mind.

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"Beautiful day, isn't it Martha?" Corey smirked as he led Martha towards his car.

Martha didn't utter a word. All she could think about was how she was going to escape from this man who wanted nothing more than to see her dead.

When they reached the car, Corey opened the passenger side of the door and then grabbed Martha by the hair. "Hop in pussycat," he shoved her in before slamming the door shut.

Martha cringed as Corey hopped in the car beside her. His eyes roamed over her, from head to toe; sending Martha's body into silent convulsions.

"I'll have to admit that Jacky was a very lucky boy getting to screw you before he died," Corey's face lingered on her chest. "Maybe you'll learn to like me too," he added.

"You'll have to kill me first you sick fuck," Martha said to him in disgust.

Corey smiled. "That won't be a problem sugar lips," he said as he started the car and put the car into reverse. "Put your seatbelt on. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you now, would we?" he said sarcastically.

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"Just you and me sexy," Sam winked at Jack as she walked towards him and pointed the gun at his head.

"Doesn't it bother you that Corey always hands over his dirty work to his girlfriends?" Jack faked a grin as he carefully watched the evil eyed bitch.

Sam laughed. "Oh, I'm hardly anyone's girlfriend," her eyes lingered across his nude body. "But I can make exceptions," she sleazed as she placed a knee on the bed.

"Sorry, but you just don't do it for me," Jack smirked at her.

"Oh, I'm sure I could do it for you alright Jacky," Sam giggled as she leant over him and pressed her fingers into his gunshot wound; hard. Jack let out a growl as his shoulder throbbed from the pressure. "But Corey said to kill yah so," Sam shrugged as she placed the gun to Jack's forehead.

Without even thinking first, Jack made a fist and swung his arm. He punched her in the face and sent her flying backwards. As she did, her finger pressed the trigger of her gun; releasing a bullet that landed in a pillow only moments away from Jack's head.

Jack let out a relieved breath, as he turned his face to the side and watched as the faint smoke drifted up from the bullet hole.

Knowing that he had to move quickly, Jack launched himself off the bed. But as he did so, Sam raised her arm and started firing more bullets towards him. Jack dove away; grabbing at a chair in the process. Using his good arm, he swung the chair at Sam and knocked her over; the gun falling from her hand and sliding under the bed; out of her reach.

Jack snatched at the bed; removing the mattress and various sheets, in hopes of finding the gun before Sam did. Moments later Sam started to laugh.

"You're fucking with the room female Holden," Sam climbed to her feet; wiping the trail of blood that trickled from her lip and down her chin.

"Please don't make me kill you," Jack laughed at her; knowing full well that he would have to kill her if he wanted to get away.

"I'm going to take great pleasure in watching you beg for your life," Sam said gleefully as she raised her leg and kicked Jack in the face.

Jack flew back and hit his head on the corner of the bedside table. His eyesight was starting to become a bit disorientated as everything started to spin. But he wasn't about to give up. He began to laugh. "Is that all you got?" he tried to sit up.

"Not even," Sam squealed in delight as she let fly with another kick to his face.

Jack could taste the copper in his mouth as the blood started to drip from his lips. "You can do better than that," he taunted Sam.

"What, you haven't had enough of me kicking your ass?" Sam laughed as she grabbed Jack by the hair and punched him square in the face. "You're a fucking waste of man, Holden," she kicked him one last time; sending him flat on his back next to the bed.

Jack groaned; the thought that she might just actually kill him, finally swept through his mind. He watched from glazed eyes as she reached into her jacket and pulled a shiny knife out.

But suddenly hope appeared. As Sam got closer toward him, Jack felt a cold metal under his hand. He clasped his blood soaked fingers around it and quickly pulled it out to show Sam. Everything after that seemed to go in slow motion. Without even as much as a breath, Jack pulled the trigger; sending three simultaneous shots into her head.

He waited and watched as she fell to the ground with a slump, before finally letting his own head fall back in relief.

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	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

Jack felt as though his whole body was on fire. The pain from the bullet wound in his shoulder was quickly spreading throughout his body. His heart was beating fast and was thumping hard against his chest. It even seemed as though he could hear it; ticking loudly like an annoying clock in the middle of the night.

Climbing to his feet, Jack looked down at Sam; now lying in a puddle of her own blood. He knew he had to hurry up and get out of there; if not for himself, then for Martha's sake. He needed to find her.

Leaning down, Jack picked up his jeans off the floor and using his good arm, he pulled them on. Looking down at his wound, he grimaced. The bullet was still lodged in his shoulder and it was making the pain worse. Jack leant back down and picked up the knife that was still clasped tightly in Sam's hands and then rummaged through her coat pockets. Feeling a little relieved when he found what he was looking for the headed into the bathroom to remove the bullet.

He knew it wasn't life threatening, but he also knew that he had to remove the bullet so that the bleeding could be stopped. Wanting to get this over and done with as quickly as possible, he grabbed a towel from the rack and placed it in his mouth; biting down. Turning on the tap, Jack rinsed the knife under the steaming hot water. Turning the tap off, he then placed the tip of the knife into the bullet wound.**  
**

"Fuck," Jack bit down; the obscenities muffled by the towel in his mouth. As much as this hurt, Jack kept on going. He dug the knife in further until he felt the bullet under the metal. Grinding down, he lodged the knife under the tip of the bullet. As he did, the bullet gave way, and popped out of the bloodied wound and into the once white sink.

Rushing back out into the bedroom, Jack ripped a piece of the bed sheet off and tied his wound; keeping the pressure on it so that it could stop any excess bleeding. Grabbing the rest of his clothes and all the weapons, he walked out of the motel room and across the road to where he and Martha had previously stashed their car.

He drove the car out onto the road and headed back in the direction of Summer Bay. That's where Corey would be taking her.

**  
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"Why are you doing this?" Martha turned her head and looked at Corey.

Corey grinned at her like a maniac. "Because I can," he sneered.

Martha scoffed at him. "You think you'll become powerful by knocking off my whole family," she stated.

"Something like that," Corey smirked. "I can't help it, but I just love the feeling I get when I hold a power over someone," he added.

"You won't win," Martha shook her head. "We won't let you," she pointed out.

"But with you and your old granddaddy dead, there won't be any reason for anyone to stop us," Corey laughed.

Martha looked away from him in disgust. What she wouldn't do to lodge a bullet in his face now. Or even set him on fire, just like he had planned to do to her.

"Do you know how my parents died?" Corey's question surprised her.

Martha once again looked over at him; noticing the look of pride that washed over his face. "I'm going to assume that you killed them," she started to fell a little sick to the stomach.

Corey winked at her. "You assumed correctly," he nodded. "My dad, he was a heroin addict, so his death was pretty much passed off as an overdose. All I had to do was stick a needle in his arm. Everybody thought he killed himself. And mummy dearest; I put a bullet in her chest. Same deal with my beloved sister. She really didn't see it coming," he explained.

Martha perked up at the mention of Amanda Vale. "Amanda's dead?" she questioned.

"Sure is. I'll add Detective Petey to that list too," Corey laughed. "You want to know another good way to get rid of a person? You know; so it looks like an accident," he then said.

Martha shrugged. "Even if I say no; you'll still tell me," she exclaimed.

"Gosh, you are really smart," Corey said sarcastically. "But anyhow; as I was saying. So many ways to kill a person; It's as easy as cutting a brake fluid line," he looked over at her maliciously.

Martha could feel the anger rising in her throat. Her mum. Her dad. He killed them. And the Mackenzie's too! He was the reason for her suffering.

"And poor sweet Katie Holden. I was only fourteen at the time, but I was with my dad the day he ran her over. It was the first time I'd ever seen a person die. It was amazing," Corey continued with his torment.

Martha started to cry. His family was the reason Jack didn't have a mother now either. Why was life being so cruel to them? Looking back up at Corey, Martha could see his eyes daring her for a response. Snapping her gaze back onto the road in front of them, Martha suddenly was overwhelmed with a feeling of empowerment. She no longer felt afraid of him. He'd done wrong by her one too many times.

"You bastard," Martha screamed out as she raised her fist and smashed it into his face.

Corey raised his hand to his nose. "You fucking bitch," he yelled at her.

Quickly, grabbing at the steering wheel, Martha jerked it towards her. The car went flying to the side. Forgetting about the pain in his nose, Corey snatched back at the wheel. He slammed on the brakes and the car went skidding off the road and down into a muddy bank.

Martha braced herself for the impact.

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	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

The impact wasn't as bad as Martha had expected. She flew forward a bit, and hit her head on the dash, before being jerked back by her seatbelt. She took a moment to break out of the shock, and when she was out of her stupor, she looked over at Corey. He groaned as he lifted his head away from the steering wheel.

Martha decided not to waste anytime. She quickly clicked open her seatbelt and opened her door. Just as she was jumping out, Corey grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Martha thrashed and kicked before managing to break away from him. She took off; running towards the trees.

Corey was quick to move after her. He took out his gun and pointed it at Martha as she ran from him. "Oh, you're fucking dead," he screamed out as he chased her and started to fire bullets from his weapon.

Martha screamed as the bullets flew past her body; lodging themselves in the various trees that surrounded around her.

"Don't go far pussycat," Corey pointed the gun again and fired another few shots at her.

Martha's lungs burned from the cold air. She was almost breathless and her legs ached. But she knew she couldn't give up. She had to keep running; so that she could live. Looking around, she became lost. The trees that had surrounded her had now become woods; woods that covered up the morning daylight; leaving it dark and cold.

Martha stopped; frantically looking around for a tree large enough to hide her. She jumped behind one and waited; waited to hear him or see him, so that she could see what direction he was going in. Her breath came out in loud hisses and her heart was banging against her chest like a drum.

"Come on pussycat. Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you …..much," Corey's voice was getting closer.

Martha knew she couldn't stay where she was. It wouldn't be long until he found her. She took off again; darting in and out between trees. Corey caught a flash of her dark hair and aimed his gun again; sending an array of bullets whizzing by the woman. Martha held her breath and told herself not to scream as she felt them whirl by.

"I went there, intending to kill you both, but you seemed to be having so much fun with our boy Jacky," Corey taunted her from afar. "I am willing to forgive you for indiscretions with him Martha. I'm sure I can be just as much fun," he laughed as he sauntered through the trees.

Sneaking around, he watched as Martha ducked behind another tree. Smiling; he knew he was going to get her. "I can offer you a lot more than Jacky could Martha. Together we could be indestructible. We could rule together," he wanted to lure her out with false hope.

Martha wasn't stupid. She knew that he would slaughter her at the first chance he got. He would enjoy every minute of it. Feeling his presence nearing her, Martha bit the inside of her cheek, in hopes that he would unknowingly pass her. Peeking around the side of the tree, she saw no one. Turning her head back around, she let out a scream as Corey suddenly appeared and lunged at her.

Corey's hand covered her mouth as he held the gun to her chest. Martha screamed under his hand; her muffled cries echoing throughout the silent woods.

"Sshhhh," Corey shushed her as he looked up into the trees and around the woods. "It's a pretty day to die Martha," he looked back down at her and smiled brightly as he pushed her up against the trunk of a tree and started to grind himself against her.

"Please stop this Corey," Martha could feel the tears starting to sting her eyes. "Stop, please," she begged.

Corey laughed at her; mocking her in an evil voice. "Corey, please stop. Please stop," he tormented her.

Martha turned her face away from him and whimpered. She wanted this to end. She wanted death to take her. Surely it would be better than this. "Jack," she cried out in a muffled voice. She wanted to see him again. "Jack," the tears dripped down her cheeks.

"Jack's not here," Corey sneered. "He can't help you. He's dead," he added.

Martha glared at him. She didn't want to hear such words. Although she knew they were probably true. Jack was dead. Feeling a surge of anger course through her body, she gathered up enough strength and pushed Corey away from her. She tried to run, but Corey snatched at her leg; tripping her. Her body gave way and she fell to the ground.

Martha got to her hands and knees and tried to crawl away. She felt Corey grasp at one of her feet as she clawed against the wet mud and leaves. He held tightly onto her leg and pulled her towards him. He flipped her over and hovered above her.

"Stop fighting it Martha. You're not going to get away. Nobody is coming to save you," Corey grinned. "Nobody," he emphasized as he cocked the trigger on his gun.

"Don't be so sure about that," a voice was heard through their struggle. A voice which was then followed by a piercing shot that rang through the air.

Martha closed her eyes in a panic. Any second now, she'd feel the bullet ripping through her body. But it didn't come. She didn't feel it. She slowly opened her eyes and was shocked but relieved by what she saw.

Corey was still hovering above her with the gun, but now his mouth was agape and a small red stain was starting to grow larger on his white shirt. Looking down at his chest, Corey rolled off Martha and fell to his back. He tried to breathe in air that would no longer go in.

Martha watched as he rolled off her. She hung her head back and caught site of the person who had just saved her. He stood there with a gun still pointing in the air; a great hate lingered in his eyes.

"Jack," Martha let out a sob.

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	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

"Jack," Martha let out another sob. She couldn't believe that he was alive. She had thought that he would have been dead for sure. "You're alive," she exclaimed.

"It was a little tough, but I managed to get away from the bitch," Jack fobbed it off with a smirk.

"Yeah right. I bet she kicked your ass," Martha let out a small smile as she pushed herself even further away from Corey.

They both watched as Corey lay there; bleeding and struggling for air. He was starting to cough up blood and it was bubbling at his lips. Jack's eyes never wavered from him; he wanted to see him suffer.

"You think you've won? I'm not dead yet," Corey tried to laugh through his gasps. He flung his arm out and grabbed at Martha's ankle.

Sick and tired of playing this stupid game, Martha kicked Corey away from her and grabbed the gun that had previously fallen from Corey's hand. She flung herself around, and pointed it at him.

"Rot in hell Corey," Martha pressed her finger to the trigger and let out one single shot. Corey's head snapped backwards as a small red line fell from the centre of his fore-head and down his face.

Frozen to the spot, Martha's eyes lingered on Corey's dead body. He was dead. He was finally dead. He couldn't hurt anybody else anymore.

"It's over," Martha slowly spun around to face Jack.

Jack nodded. "It's over," he agreed.

Martha took a few steps toward Jack and threw her arms around him. "You're okay", she whispered into his good shoulder.

"I'm okay," Jack put his arm around Martha's waist and head her tight. He wasn't really okay, but he didn't want to worry her.

Martha smiled and looked up into Jack's face. "And you look like shit," she grimaced.

Jack laughed as he looked down into her blue eyes. "Look who's calling the kettle black," he exclaimed.

Martha laughed as she pulled away from him. She turned around and walked back over to Corey's body. She leant down and searched through his pockets; looking for a phone. She sighed in relief when she found one tucked away in the pocket of his black jacket. She held it up for Jack to see. She would call her granddad and tell him that they were okay.

She then stood back up and walked back over to Jack and held her hand out for him to take. "Let's go home," she said as she looked down at his hand as he placed it within hers.

"Let's go," Jack nodded.

Walking out of the woods they said nothing to one another. What to say? Should Martha tell him about his mother? And how she was murdered by Corey's family? Should she tell him that Corey had killed her parents too? Along with the Mackenzie's, his own sister and Detective Baker She decided against telling him. She knew that now was not the right time.

Jack could feel his body becoming weary. He felt cold and was struggling to even walk back to the car. But once again, he didn't say anything. He didn't want to scare Martha.

"How bout you drive princess," Jack suggested as they reached the car.

"Okay," Martha shrugged as she stepped away from him and moved around to the driver's side door. She jumped in and patiently waited for Jack to join her.

Gathering himself, Jack fell into the passenger side seat. Martha looked over at him as he did so, and noticed him wincing. She could see that he was in pain. His face was pale and he didn't talk.

"Are you okay Jack?" she asked him; worry was etched across her face.

"Just drive Martha," Jack told her through clenched teeth. He didn't want to tell her. His wound was starting to bleed out and the entire side of his shirt was soaked in the gooey substance.

Giving up, Martha shrugged and turned the car on. She pulled the car onto the road and took off in the direction of home.

Jack's eyes slowly closed as Martha drove down the highway. As she turned her head to glance at him, she watched as he fell into a deep sleep. "Jack, wake up," she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Huh," Jack mumbled but didn't open his eyes.

Slamming on the brakes, Martha pulled the car to a stop. "Wake up," she said again louder. His eyes did not open.

Taking her hand, she placed it under his jacket to where he was shot earlier. Her palm met with a cold wetness. She knew what she would find when she pulled her hand away. Slowly pulling her hand out, she looked down at it in heartache. It was covered in blood; Jack's blood. His entire shirt was soaked.

He's dying, she thought to herself in sadness. Biting her bottom lip, she bit back the tears that were starting to sting her eyes. He was dying, and it was because of her. He saved her life, just to lose his own.

Pushing the pedal to the ground, she took of back down the highway. She grabbed at the phone that was sitting in her lap and quickly dialed her grandfather's number.

He'd know what to do.

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Looking to the road she tried to concentrate. Biting her bottom lip she bit back tears that were stinging her eyes. Pushing the pedal to the ground, she looked over at the sleeping body next to her. He saved her life just to loose his own.


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

Alf sat at his desk with his head in his hands. He sat up a little and rubbed at his tired eyes. He hadn't slept a wink during the night; all he could think about was Martha and Jack. All he could hope was that they were both still alive, and that they would come back safely.

Deep in thought and in a world of his own, a loud shrill ring rang through the room and startled him from his thoughts. Who could that be? Alf thought to himself.

"Hello," his tired voice answered the phone.

"Granddad," a female voice cried to him.

Alf jerked up. He'd know that voice anywhere. "Martha, are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," Martha told him. "But Jack isn't. He's been shot," she sobbed.

Alf stood up and started pacing back and forth across his office. "He's alive isn't he?" he questioned her.

"Yeah, but he keeps slipping into unconsciousness. I don't know what to do," Martha panicked. "The closest hospital is back in Yabbie Creek, so I should just take him there, right?" she said to him.

"No. No hospitals," Alf shot out. "Take him back to your place and I'll have one of my doctors meet you there. Taking him to the hospital wouldn't be a very good idea. They'll start asking questions and probably call the police. We don't need that right now," he explained to Martha over the phone.

"You have a friend on the force don't you; someone who can fix all this for us?" Martha rambled on. "Because people are dead granddad. Me and Jack; we had to kill a few people," she cried.

"Don't you worry about that. I'll get that all sorted out," Alf promised. "I'll call a few people for the clean-up okay. All traces of you and Jack will be gone. As far as anyone knows; you were never there. You've been here in the bay the whole time, okay?" he explained to her.

"Thank you," Martha sounded grateful.

"Okay, I'm going to go and inform the boys on the latest. I'll give you a call back in the next few minutes and then you can tell me where you and Jack have been. That way I'll know where to send the others so that they can clean up the mess," Alf said to her. "Now, all you have to do is worry about Jack. Just try your hardest to stop the bleeding. Can you do that for me?" Alf said in a soothing voice.

"Yes, I can do that. I'll try," Martha cried.

Alf went to hang up the phone, but was stopped by Martha's voice. "It's over granddad. Corey's dead," she told him.

"I'd figured as much," Alf nodded. "You done good," he exclaimed.

A few moments later he heard the dial tone. Martha had hung up. As he turned, he noticed Charlie and Tony standing by the door.

"Who was that?" Tony asked.

Alf smiled. "It was Martha. It's over. She's coming home," he answered.

"What about Jack?" Tony frowned.

Alf sighed. How was he supposed to explain to his best mate that Jack might not make it home alive?

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The closer to home Martha got, the more anxious she grew. The thought that Jack wasn't going to make it home alive had implanted itself in her brain. And if that happened, then she'd never forgive herself.

She was the reason Jack had gotten himself into this mess. She blamed herself for him getting shot. All he had wanted to do was the noble thing and protect her. He felt that he had an obligation to her, just because she was Alf Stewart's granddaughter.

She should have snuck off when she had the chance. She should have made him leave; go home and let her sort it out herself. But he hadn't. He'd stayed with her and put his life at risk. He'd protected her. He'd loved her in more ways than one. But now it looked as though he was going to be taken from her. And she couldn't even bare to think of that happening. It gave her a pain in her heart every time she thought about him being dead.

From beside her, she heard a wheezing sound and then a cough. "Jack," she looked over at him; hoping that he had woken up. But no luck. He was still in the same state that he had been in for the last hour.

She reached over and took his hand in hers; placing it on his thigh and squeezing it tightly. "Just hang in there Jack. We're nearly home," she cried in a hushed tone. "Please don't leave," she whispered.

Twenty minutes later and Martha was speeding up the driveway towards her home. She'd never been so relieved to see it. As she neared the mansion, she noticed the group of people standing there; awaiting her arrival. As she pulled the car to a stop, they swamped the car.

"Martha," Alf reefed the car door open and pulled her out and into his arms. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Yes, I'm fine," Martha pulled away from him and turned to look at the people removing Jack from the car. There was a woman checking Jack's pulse and ordering the others around her to carry Jack into the house. Martha guessed that she must be the doctor.

"Just help Jack," Martha cried. "Don't let him die," she said.

"Jack will be fine," Alf soothed Martha. "He'll be fine. He's being taken care of by the best. Don't worry," he hugged her to him again.

"Mac," more voices were heard yelling as they came running from the house. Charlie, Bruiser, Macca, Tasha and Kim lunged themselves at her; pulling at her and demanding hugs.

They spent a few minutes talking about what had occurred the last few days. Martha explained to them about Zoe, Johnny, Sam and Corey; and how their deaths had come about.

"So, I'm not going to have the cops turning up on the doorstep looking for me or Jack, am I?" Martha asked her grandfather.

Alf placed a reassuring hand on Martha's shoulder and squeezed it. "I told you that it's all been taken care of. You don't need to worry about it anymore," he told her.

"Thank you," Martha touched his hand softly. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go and see what's happening with Jack. He needs me," she said in a soft voice as she turned away and walked off into the house.

Charlie turned to Tasha and gave her a weird look. "Did you pick up on that?" he said to her.

Tasha nodded with a slight smile. "I think our Martha has become quite fond of Jack Holden. Something happened out there," she said. "I'll find out," she smirked.

"Let's just hope that the poor guy survives," Charlie sighed. "Martha will be gutted if he doesn't pull through".

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	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

**2 Days Later**

Jack jolted awake at the sharp pain running across his shoulder. His eyes blurry, he took a moment to clear his head and look around the darkly lit room he found himself in. Looking to his side, he saw her there; curled up in a chair, fast asleep.

Moving into sitting position, he ran his hand over his face and then through his wild hair. His eyes drifted around the room; taking in the surroundings of this unfamiliar room. It was her house. She had brought him here. She'd driven him to safety; saved his life.

I need to leave; the thought suddenly entered his head. Closing his eyes, he sighed. He knew it was for the best. He couldn't be here when she woke; awkwardness would be between them.

Try his hardest not to cry out in pain, he stepped out of the bed. Before going any further, he took a moment to look over Martha. She looked so small curled up in the chair; so innocent. Jack smirked to himself at the thought. Innocent; she's anything but, he thought to himself.

The moments they'd shared stung his brain with sorrow. He'd let her in, and she'd let him in. He'd given her the choice, and she'd barged right in, now owning a piece of his heart. A heart which had been hidden away from others. He'd hidden it with his cynicism and his mean barriers. But she'd broken right through him within moments. But now, here he was, about to take off. All because he didn't want to be there when she awoke with expectations.

He loved her, but there was nothing he could give her. She was too good for him. She deserved the best. And that he wasn't. She could do much better than him.

Walking over towards a small dressing table, he noticed his clothes. Washed and neatly folded; waiting for him. Ho looked into the mirror and inspected his bandaged shoulder. Whoever had fixed him up had done a good job. Even the cuts and bruises on his face had been treated.

Ignoring the slight pain in his shoulder, he started to put on his clothes. Once he'd pulled his boots on, he grabbed his jacket and headed towards the door. Opening the door, it lightly squeaked. Jack drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes as he thought that the sound might wake her.

Looking back up, he found that she was still asleep. Gathering the confidence, he walked back, over towards her. A part of him couldn't help but wish that she would awake. She'd yell at him and argue with him; demanding that he stay. And he knew that he would if she asked him too. He'd do it; just for her.

Falling to his knees, he knelt beside her sleeping body. He looked down at her hands which were grasping tightly onto the blanket that was wrapped around. One day, those hands will touch another man, he thought to himself. It pained him to think this and the thought went straight to his chest and pulled at his heart.

Slowly rising to his feet, he leant over to her cheek and softly whispered. "I wish I could be somebody that you deserve," he lightly pressed his lips to cheek. Standing again, he walked out; he didn't look back.

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Martha's eyes opened the very second after she heard Jack leave the room. She stopped herself from running after him; begging him to stay with her. But she couldn't hold him back; regardless of their feelings for one another. They couldn't get attached. Martha had a business to run, and he had his own life. She had to let him walk away. It was the only way her heart stayed intact.

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Taking each step slowly at a time, Jack looked back up the bedroom door which he had just exited. It beckoned him, but he stayed strong. Reaching the door, he went to open it but his hand stopped mid air when he heard a deep voice from behind him.

"Leaving?" the voice said to him.

Spinning around, he came face to face with whom he was pretty sure was Charlie MacKenzie.

Rubbing a finger over his brow he shrugged. "Yeah," he answered.

Charlie nodded. "Yeah," he exclaimed. "Did you say goodbye?" he then question Jack.

Coughing a little, Jack looked down at the floor. "I'm not so good with goodbyes," he said.

"It's cool man. She knows anyway," Charlie started. "But, just so you know, she didn't leave your side. Even when I threatened to drug her and drag her boney ass out," he chuckled.

"How long was I out?" Jack looked at him in confusion.

"Two days. Morphine," Charlie smiled.

Shit. Two Fucking days, Jack thought to himself as he shook his head.

Charlie started to laugh. "Yeah, that Doc that Alf sent over; she practically had to comatose your ass, in order to fix that botched surgical job you did on yourself," he explained. "I think she said specifically to call you a dumb shit when you woke," he laughed harder.

Jack laughed along with him, but then shushed him. "Ssshhh," he whispered as he looked up the stairs; hoping that they're laughter didn't wake Martha.

Charlie saw the expression on Jack's face; knowing full well what he was thinking. "She won't come down; even if she wakes up….," he trailed off.

Jack looked over at Charlie and frowned. His heart suddenly ached. Wow, this guy really knows how to make you feel guilty, Jack thought.

"I should be going," Jack broke the silence. He took hold of the door handle and pulled open the door; the sunlight streamed in and brightened up the dark foyer. Looking back at Charlie again, Jack spoke. "Tell her I said thanks and….," he started but was cut off.

Charlie shook his head. "No man, she already knows," he stated. "Birds of a feather, my friend," he then added with a smirk.

"See ya round," Jack then nodded before walking out onto the drive way. He lifted his good arm and gave Charlie a short wave, before making his way down the drive.

He'd only walked a few meters when suddenly he felt her eyes on him. Spinning around, he saw her standing in the window; looking down at him. He watched as she placed her hand on the glass; her way of saying goodbye to him.

Jack swallowed; trying to remove the large lump that was forming in his throat. She was letting him go, and she wasn't going to stop him. She understood. She got it.

Placing his hand up in the air, he smiled softly. He then turned and kept on walking. Away from her, and away from what they'd shared. They had to go back to their lives; or whatever was actually left of it.

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The tears fell as she watched him go. A part of her heart was in her throat. Why didn't her heart want him to go?

Hearing a knock at the door, Martha quickly wiped at the tears that streaked down her face. She turned away from the window and put on her fake smile.

"Hey," Charlie said to her as he entered the room.

"Hey," she back with an exaggerated smile.

"You good?" Charlie asked her as he stepped towards her.

Shrugging, Martha lied. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" she moved towards the chair and picked up the blanket that had been previously wrapped around her body.

"Well, it looks like you were crying," Charlie exclaimed as Martha passed him and left the room, not even bothering to look him in the eye.

"Yeah, well can't a girl have a moment to reflect? I mean I was almost killed several times Charlie," Martha tried to joke as she entered her own room down the hall.

"Okay, fine," Charlie backed down; not wanting to upset her or start a fight.

"Now if you don't mind, I want to get some sleep," Martha started to push Charlie towards the door.

"I'll bring some food up for you later," Charlie told her as he left and walked back down the hall.

Martha flicked off the lights and then shut the door. Holding her hand to her mouth, the tears came back in full force. Leaning her back against the door, she sunk to the ground and rolled into a little ball. Her heart was broken. For the first time in her life, it was really broken.

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	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

_2 Weeks Later_

"Martha, are you coming? The lasagna's ready," Charlie poked his head into Martha's office.

Martha looked up from her position and shook her head. "Not hungry," she told him.

Charlie rolled his eyes at her. Two fucking weeks, he thought. Two weeks had passed and she was still off in her own little world. "Okay, but just to let you know; you look like total shit," he smiled, knowing full well that that would get her attention.

"Thanks a lot you ass," Martha smirked at him as she pointed towards the direction of the door; her way of telling him to get lost.

"Gee, so sorry to have bothered you your royal highness," Charlie laughed as he walked from the room.

"Bite me," Martha yelled after him.

"Don't tempt me," Charlie called back. "Especially if it means getting your skinny ass to come to dinner," his voice started to fade as disappeared down the hall.

"Fine, I'll be there in a minute," Martha screeched out. At the sudden thought of eating, her stomach started to do flip flops again. She'd been feeling sick the last couple of days.

She'd been sitting in her office for most of the afternoon. She'd been looking through all the albums from when she was a kid; from when she and Jack had been kids. She'd been searching for that one particular photo. That photo that her mother had taunted her with so many times as a young girl.

Then Martha opened the last album, and one single photo slipped out from under the pages and fell to the ground. Reaching down, she picked it up. She smiled. There it was. Two brown headed children sitting in a bath tub full of bubbles; smiling at the camera. She traced her finger over Jack's face. He was such a cutie. He still was.

Martha missed him. She missed him so bad. She couldn't believe that two whole weeks had gone since the last time she had seen him. It pained her to think that even more weeks could slip by, and she still wouldn't see him.

She was in love with him. Like crazy and madly in love. That much she knew. And the longer they were apart; the stronger her feelings got. Martha had thought that the pain would fade after a few days; that she would forget about him just like all the other guys she had dated. But this time it was different. He was different. She was different.

Martha put the picture down as she started to reminisce about the night they had spent together. He was a pig and a total pervert. But the way he touched her and kissed her, the way their bodies moved against each other; it had been like magic. She didn't think anyone could ever make her feel like that again. Not like the way he could.

Finally, letting out a sigh, Martha stood up and left the room. She didn't want to keep the others waiting.

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"Hey mum," Jack said in a hushed tone as he knelt down in front of his mother's grave. "Sorry, I haven't been to visit in a while. As you probably seen, I was shot, so I wasn't really up for doing much," he placed a single red rose on the head stone.

"You know, you were right about her. Martha, I mean," Jack started. "You always said she was a special girl. And boy, were you right. Even though we were running for our lives, those few days that I spent with her; they were the best days of my life. She may have been a total princess, but she cared. She cared about me, and she cared about her family. She's one of the most genuine people I've ever met," he told his dead mother.

"You'll be happy to know that the war between all of our families is over. I really hope that everything can go back to the way things used to be. Dad told me that Alf and Martha are working on some kind of treaty which will help bring us all back together again," Jack continued. "If only it could have happened before you were taken away from us," he added.

Jack sat for a few minutes; taking in the silence. He loved moments like this. When there was nobody around and it was so quiet that all you could hear were the rustling of the trees.

He thought about Martha, and what she might be doing at that moment. He hoped that she happy, and moving on with her life. It was more than he could say for himself. He wasn't happy. He was miserable. Every minute he felt the urge to go and see her; just to hold her, or look into those eyes that held so much passion. But he always managed to push the urge away. It was hard, but he managed.

And now to make things easier, he was going to do the one thing that would help the both of them. He was going to leave. In two weeks time, he was going to leave Summer Bay. It was for the best; he knew that.

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_2 Weeks Later_

Martha grinned as she watched Tasha and Kim running towards their father. Today was the day that Barry had finally been released. Martha stood back with her grandfather and watched as the gates opened. Barry stepped out; a free man at last.

He threw his arms around his only children and held them tight. Martha had never seen something so beautiful. To watch a person being reunited with the ones they love was incredible. It made her heart ache for he own parents. But she held hope that she would one day be reunited with them.

Martha smiled as Barry rested his arms on the shoulders of his children and then made his way over towards her and Alf.

"Thank you," Barry held out his hand for Alf to shake. "Thank you for helping me get out of this place. You don't know how much it means to be back with my kids," he said to Alf.

Alf shook Barry's hand and smiled. "It was my pleasure. When Martha came to me asking for help, I didn't hesitate for a second. She explained to me that her father had made a promise to you before he died, and that she wanted to live up to the promise. So, I helped in whatever way I could," he explained.

"Well, I'm grateful for everything," Barry nodded before turning towards Martha. "Thank you Martha. Your father would have been proud of you," he pulled her in for a warm hug.

Martha laughed. "Well, like granddad just said; it was my pleasure," she hugged him back. "Now, why don't we get this show on the road; we need to celebrate," she exclaimed.

"Let's hit it," Kim led his father towards his car, with Tasha following close behind.

Martha and Alf tagged behind slowly. "Thanks for helping my granddad," Martha looked up and smiled at Alf.

"I'd do anything for you," Alf told her.

Martha let out a short before starting to walk again. "You know how we've been talking about ways to bring everyone back together again?" she then said to Alf.

"Yeah," Alf placed a hand on Martha's shoulder.

"Well, I have the very thing that will do just that. I have the one thing that will bring us all together; like one big happy family," Martha started to explain.

"What are you talking about?" Alf was confused.

"I'm sure you've noticed that I haven't been feeling well these last couple of weeks," Martha said.

"Yeah, I noticed. But what's this got to do with bringing us all together?" Alf looked at Martha curiously.

"A baby. I'm having a baby," Martha smiled up at her grandfather. "I'm pregnant granddad. And Jack's the father".

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**FINAL CHAPTER: Will Martha get the chance to see Jack and tell him about the baby before he leaves? Or will she be too late?**

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	23. Chapter 23

**Hey all. Well, here it is; the last chapter. Hope you enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

"Say something," Martha smiled sheepishly up at Alf.

Alf shook himself from his stupor and started to smile back at his granddaughter. "Congratulations," he pulled her in for a hug. "I'm so happy for you," he told her.

Martha was grinning from ear to ear. "I'm happy too. I really am. I just hope that Jack will be happy. I should probably head over and tell him," she ranted.

When she noticed the smile fall from her grandfather's face, she knew something was wrong. "What is it? What's wrong?" she asked him.

"It's about Jack," Alf looked away uncomfortably.

"He met somebody else?" Martha jumped to conclusions almost immediately.

"What? No, of course not," Alf reassured her.

Martha sighed in relief. "Well, that's okay then," she laughed.

"You're in love with him aren't you?" Alf touched Martha's cheek softly.

Martha nodded with a small smile. "Yeah, I am. I want us to be together so bad. And now, we have a baby on the way. Nothing can keep us apart," she exclaimed. "And just imagine what it will do for our families. A baby will bring so much joy and it will bring us all together again. Just the way it used to be, and the way it should always be," she explained to Alf.

Alf quickly took hold of Martha's hand and started to drag her back to the car where Charlie was waiting to give her a ride home. "You need to hurry," Alf shot out.

"Huh?" Martha was confused as she pulled away from his grasp and paused on the spot. "What are you talking about?"

Alf groaned. "Jack's leaving Martha. He's probably on his way to airport right now," he explained

"No," Martha was shocked. "He can't go. We're having a baby," she was starting to get quite upset.

"Then go," Alf urged. "If you hurry, you'll get there before his plane leaves. That boy is in love with you, and if you ask him to stay, he will. He'll do anything for you," he said.

Martha started to nod. She moved away from Alf's grasp and ran towards the car; yelling at Charlie. "Take me to the airport; right now," she demanded.

"A please and thank you can go a long way," Charlie laughed sarcastically.

"I don't have time for this," Martha yelled at him. "I love Jack and I'm having his baby. But he's on his way to the airport; about to leave and he has no idea how I feel. Now take me to the airport," she screeched.

"Okay, okay," Charlie held his hands up. "Get in," he told her.

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Charlie screeched the car to a halt right out the front of the airport entrance. Martha pushed open the door and flew from the car. "Wait for me," she called back to Charlie who was laughing at her hast. Martha ran into the airport and looked around the foyer trying to spot Jack.

"Jack," she called out. She didn't care that people were starting to stare and point at her. She knew that she probably looked like a crazy person running around. "Jack," she cried out.

Not seeing him anywhere, she started to run again and stopped when she came across a large screen displaying the departure times. She had no idea what airline he was using or what time his flight was; so it was just a guessing game from this moment on. She flicked her eyes over the screen and took note of the next departure; five minutes from now.

She took of running again, and kept running until she reached the desk at the departure door. As she got there; the door was closing.

"No, don't close it. I need to get on that plane," Martha panted as she leant over the desk.

"Do you have a ticket?" the woman behind the desk asked.

Martha shook her head. "No, but….," she started but was cut off.

"Then I'm sorry; you can't get on the plane. Besides, it's too late now. The plane will be taking off soon," the woman explained.

"No, you don't understand," Martha yelled at the woman.

"Please lower your voice Miss," she told Martha in return.

"No," Martha stamped her foot in a huff. "The man I love might be on that plane. And I need to tell him that we're going to have a baby. I need to tell him. Please," she begged.

A look of sorrow washed over the woman's face as she shook her head again. "I'm sorry, but I can't allow it. I'm so sorry," she apologized.

Martha fell against the desk and started to sob. He was on that plane; she just knew it. And now he was gone. He didn't even know that he was going to be a father. Feeling dejected, Martha turned and started to walk away from the departure lounge and back towards the exit. But she was in for the surprise of her life, when she suddenly came face to face with Jack

"Jack? You're still here," Martha cried.

He nodded slightly. "I'm supposed to be on a plane right now, but I'm not. I couldn't do it," Jack told her.

"Why not?" Martha asked him as she looked down at her hands; suddenly feeling a little shy. This was the first time she'd seen him in a month.

"I couldn't leave you," Jack answered her honestly. "Why are you here?" he then questioned her; changing the subject.

"I didn't want you to leave me," she also decided to be honest. "But I thought I was too late," she exclaimed.

"You didn't want me to leave?" Jack smiled softly.

"No, I want you to stay. I want you to stay and be with me," Martha smiled back at him.

Jack dropped his bag on the ground and took a step towards Martha. "The last month has been total hell for me. I thought it would be easier for the both of us if I left. But I suddenly realized that it would be worse. I'm in love with you and I'd be miserable without. I'd be nothing without you," he said to her as he reached out for her hand.

"I love you too," Martha smiled at him as she lunged forward and pressed her lips to his. She felt Jack's arms slip around her waist and pull her in tighter as their kiss deepened. It had felt like a lifetime since they'd last kissed, and Martha couldn't believe how much she'd missed it.

In need of a little air, Martha pulled away and took a deep breath. "So you're staying?" she asked him.

Jack laughed a little. "Nothing could take me away from you. Not now. Not ever," he caressed her face.

"Good," Martha nodded as she quickly pecked him on the lips. "Coz there's something you need to know," her eyes shone as she looked up him.

"You seem excited, so I'm guessing that what you're about to tell me is something good," Jack started. "But I assure you right now; nothing could really make this day any better. Because as far as I'm concerned, this is the best day of my life," he whispered to her.

"We're having a baby," Martha blurted out.

Martha searched his face for a sign that he was happy, but all she got was a look of shock. His mouth was agape, and it looked as though he was trying to say something. But still, no words came out.

"You're not happy," Martha frowned as she tried to pull away from his grasp.

But Jack held onto her firmly. "A baby?" he laughed. "I'm going to be a father," he yelled out.

Martha looked up in surprise. "Wait. You are happy," she grinned.

"I lied when I said this day couldn't get any better," Jack exclaimed as he picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Martha laughed at Jack's public display of affection. "We're having a baby," she whispered at his lips.

"We're having a baby," Jack whispered back as he started to kiss her once more.

"But, just so you know; I still think you're a perverted pig," Martha hushed against his mouth.

"I can deal with that," Jack shrugged with a grin.

As she kissed him, Martha thought about how happy she was right at that moment. She'd gotten the happy ending she'd always wanted. She got the guy. And she got the baby. Life couldn't be more perfect.

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Charlie watched Martha and Jack from a short distance; smiling at their newfound happiness. After everything she'd been through, Charlie knew that Martha deserved to happy. He started to laugh as a crowd of people stopped in their tracks and started to cheer on the happy couple.

Taking one last glance, he spun around and ran smack bang into another body. "Sorry," he apologized as he helped the young woman pick up her bag.

"It's okay," she smiled as she looked up him. "Do I know you?" she suddenly asked as she looked him over.

Realizing who she was, Charlie grinned. "You're the Doc who patched up Jack," he said to her.

"And your Charlie Mackenzie," she laughed.

"You know, I never caught your name," Charlie stared down at the woman.

"Rachel Armstrong," she held out her hand for him to shake.

"Would you like to have dinner with me Doctor Rachel?" Charlie asked with a soft smile.

Rachel nodded and smiled back at him. "I'm a pretty busy woman, but I think that I could fit you in".

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**Well, there it is. The last chapter. It's over. I'm not entirely impressed with it, but it will do. Lol.**

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I appreciate it.**


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